Autumn's Awakening
by Fireworksafterdawn
Summary: Fallenstar's kits have been born, and each have a destiny of their own to follow. Each of their paths will split apart, and old enemies will seek to hurt the ShadowClan leader through her children. Each kit learns their weaknesses, and they each try to hide it. Fallenstar wakes up and realizes her life isn't complete yet. What more could she ask for? (Sequel to Fallenstar's Fate)
1. Stinky Medicine Cats

**Author's Note: Okay, I lied about it going up tomorrow, but I was too excited! :D**

**The curtains rise once more, this act being about Fallenstar's kits. A new chapter will be up each day, so keep your hopes up, guys! *gives everyone a frog***

**Plus, the chapters in Autumn's Awakening will each be at least 1,500 words each, so expect nice, long chapters!**

**Enjoy the story.**

The first thing Fawnkit noticed about the nursery was that it was really stinky.

The brown dappled kit yawned and rolled over. She tried to ignore the stink as her mother licked her head fur, making it stand on end.

"But, Mom, I want to go outside with Dad!" Cried out a fluffy ginger tabby kit, his eyes narrowed and humorously serious.

"Not until Fawnkit agrees to go out with you." Reasoned the figure that Fawnkit has learned to call her mother.

"Don't pester, Fallenstar." Said a white she-cat with tortishell patches. She walked into the nursery and Fawnkit noticed that the she-cat's belly was rather large like the boulder outside the warrior's den. The tortishell glared at the ginger tabby and continued, "She is your mother as well as the Clan's _leader, _Flamekit."

Fawnkit fluttered her ear and scrambled over the brown and cream tabby she-cat named Fallenstar. Fawnkit grinned and said to her mother, "That's a nice name, Momma."

"Thank you, Fawnkit." Fallenstar purred to her daughter.

Fawnkit smiled and cast a smug look at Flamekit. Flamekit rolled his eyes and said to his sister, "Don't you want to go outside?"

"No, it's too cold out there, and the leaves crunch too loud when I step on them." Fawnkit didn't like it when her paws stepped down on those leaves.

"Mom, can't you make Fawnkit go outside?"

Fawnkit slid down Fallenstar's back and cried out, "But I don't want to go out."

Fallenstar sighed and looked at her ginger son. She blinked and said, "Alright, fine. I guess you can go out there on your own. Try to get Twigpaw or one of his siblings to show you around."

Flamekit puffed out his chest and said, "Or I can get Starlingwing to show me."

"He's out hunting right now." Huffed Fallenstar. "Just go look around. Don't get into any trouble either, I'll know."

"Alright, Mom!" Shouted Flamekit as he pounced out of the nursery.

Fawnkit shivered and snuggled in closer to Fallenstar's belly. Fawnkit loved the warmth of her mother, and she loved when the nursery's bedding is changed, it's always so soft and downy like a dove's wing. She knows because one time her dad caught a dove and Starlingwing let Fawnkit feel how soft the feathers are. She likes doves…

"Why don't you want to go outside, Fawnkit?" Asked Fallenstar.

Fawnkit yawned and replied tiredly, "I just don't want to."

"Don't you want to be a warrior?" Fallenstar pressed on.

Fawnkit flicked her ear and looked up. She tilted her head. Fawnkit knew what a warrior was. A warrior was one of those bigger cats that bring food for the really old cats and kits like her. They also bring prey for her mother as well. Fawnkit has heard amazing stories about warriors as well. Like when the warriors protect the Clan or maybe stories of a terrifying cat named Tigerstar. Sometimes Fallenstar tells the story about how she was a messenger that warned all the cats around the lake about the oncoming battle. Fallenstar is such a great cat, and Fawnkit was lucky to have her as a mother.

But for some reason, none of that appealed to Fawnkit. Fawnkit didn't like to fight, and she didn't want to feed a Clan full of ungrateful kittens similar to her brother. She didn't want to train some mischievous apprentices or hurt other cats or even argue with them. She didn't want to some day die with blood on her fur.

So will she never fit into the Clan?

Fawnkit was about to answer her mother's question but Flamekit dragged in a huge toad from the fresh-kill pile. He dropped it on the edge of Fallenstar's nest and said proudly, "Starlingwing caught it for us."

Fallenstar then looked up to see a ginger tom that looked pretty much exactly like Flamekit. His amber eyes shined with a light of sincerity and his orange tabby fur rippled with strength.

Flamekit stared up at the tom and said, "Hey there, Dad! That is definitely a large toad."

"Please keep that toad out of my nest." Fallenstar muttered, "I'd rather keep a clean pelt for the kits."

"Just eat some, Mom." Flamekit insisted, "Dad told me that your favorite prey were always frogs and toads."

Fallenstar blinked and took a bite out of it. She swallowed it and grinned. "Thank you for remembering, Starlingwing."

Starlingwing blushed and laid back his ears.

Fallenstar nudged Fawnkit towards the toad and said, "Fawnkit, don't you want to try some?"

"No."

Starlingwing chuckled. "Not the kit to try out new things."

"No!" Cried out Fawnkit running away from the slimy toad, "that's gross, it's covered in dirt! I like eating doves and pigeons."

"You're not going to survive for very long if you're _that_ picky." Said Flamekit rolling his eyes.

Fawnkit shook her head and hid under Fallensky's tail. She narrowed her acorn brown eyes at her brother and fluffed out her fur.

She blinked when she spotted a cream colored kit stampede into the nursery. He had very dark brown tabby patches of fur and green eyes just like Fallenstar.

"Momma, Stempaw showed me outside the camp!"

Fallenstar sighed and pulled her son close, "I wondered where you went. I was so worried about you, Pinekit. You never know what could be out there." She narrowed her eyes and went on, "I'll have to punish Stempaw for putting my son in such danger."

Fallenstar pulled her son close and Pinekit wriggled out of her paws. "I'll be an apprentice soon, right, Mom? I'm four moons old!"

"I know that." Fallenstar purred. "And since you know the camp so well, how about you show your sister everything. I have leader duties to attend to."

Fawnkit was stripped of her warmth when Fallenstar stood up and walked out of the nursery.

"Come on, Fawnkit!" Cried out Pinekit, "I'll show you everything!"

Fawnkit groaned and followed her brother outside. The sunlight shined in her face and she grimaced. Pinekit guided her across the camp and introduced her to a few warriors. She met the deputy, Oakfur. She also met Ferretclaw and Pinefur who simply grinned at her.

Pinekit scrabbled into the warriors den and Fawnkit peeked inside. "Can we go inside?"

"Of course we can! Fallenstar told me to show you everything."

Fawnkit shivered and walked into the warriors den. The roof was made of intwined brambles, tree roots, and lots of moss. Sunlight dappled into the den and rocks were scattered around. Pinekit leaped over a sleeping black warrior's tail and Fawnkit only walked around him entirely.

Pinekit sat down in one nest in the corner made of hawk feathers, old moss, and long stands of staw. "This used to be Fallenstar's nest when she was a warrior. It's really soft too!"

"I don't think we should be here." Fawnkit said quietly looking around the huge den. But reluctantly, she laid down in the downy nest and purred. "You're right, it _is_ soft."

"She must have been a super, duper, respected warrior." Said Pinekit darting out of the nest. "Come on, let's go to the apprentice den!"

Fawnkit pulled herself away from the nest and accidentally stepped on the black warrior's fluffy tail. He yelped and stood up, facing the tiny dappled she-kit. The tom huffed and said, "Hasn't Fallenstar taught her kits to not traipse on the other warriors' tails?"

"Sorry, Smokefoot!" Cried out Pinekit, "Don't mind, Fawnkit. This is her first time out."

"You don't have to defend me." Hissed Fawnkit leaping out of the den. She trotted across the camp, trying to keep up with her brother. He pounced into the apprentice den and motioned for Fawnkit to enter. She looked up at the roof and saw that it had several holes in it. It was mostly the huge roots of a tree, scrambled over dirt and sunshine peeking out of the holes. Darkness covered her pale brown fur and she looked around.

Pinekit already sat down in a nest and purred, "It's not as exciting as the warriors den, but it's still nice."

_How is a den exciting?_ Wondered Fawnkit walking over to him.

"Hey guys!"

She looked up to the entrance and saw Flamekit's fiery pelt as he stood proudly. Flamekit fluffed out his fur and trotted down to his siblings. He sniffed the nest and wrenched back, "That nest stinks! Yep, it's definitely Birchpaw's."

"Birchpaw doesn't stink." Said Fawnkit defensively.

"He smells like stinking mouse-bile and dirty moss." Said Pinekit. "I am not going to be the next apprentice to lay next to him."

The two brothers shared jokes as Fawnkit watched silently. Then she said quietly, "Can we check out that den between the tree roots surrounded by rocks?"

Pinekit looked at her quizzically and said, "But that's the medicine den, it stinks like herbs in there." He covered his nose and hissed, "It's too bitter in there."

"Yeah," agreed Flamekit, "Why would you want to go in there?"

Fawnkit shrugged and calmly walked past her brothers out of the apprentice den. She sprinted across the camp and slid into the medicine den, seeing a small brown tabby with blue eyes setting down golden flowers on a sleek dark grey she-cat and pale grey paw-pads and eyelids. A long trickle of blood dripped down from her side.

She hissed in pain and took a deep breath.

"Quit, squirming, Dewdrop." Muttered the brown tom with leaves in his mouth. He spat them out and rubbed them on the wound, "You know you need to remember that you can't just fight every RiverClan she-cat you see even close to the border."

"It's Sparrowfang's fault that he hooked up with some fish-breathed she-cat."

"And he is being punished for it by not going on patrols for the next moon." Littlecloud pointed out, "It doesn't matter that Troutstream is bearing his kits. It was your brother's stupid decision, I hope you know that."

"I do." Dewdrop lashed her tail and directed her attention the tiny dappled she-kit in the entrance of the den. "Oh, Littlecloud has a guest."

The brown tabby looked down at Fawnkit and she shuffled her paws nervously. "H-Hello… Mister Medicine Cat."

Littlecloud purred in laughter, "My name is Littlecloud. This is Dewdrop." He motioned to the dark grey she-cat. "And welcome to the medicine den!"

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"I'm putting goldenrod and dock on her wounds because she was being a mouse-brain."

"Can I help?" Fawnkit asked suddenly.

Littlecloud looked at her and grinned, a lost twinkle in his eyes. "Of course, Fallenstar's kits are always welcome to help me." He chuckled and pointed to a pile of tiny, round black seeds, "Give Dewdrop some of those black seeds. That would be really helpful."

Fawnkit grinned and rushed over to the pile of black seeds. She scooped some up and set them down onto a leaf. She carefully dragged the leaf over to Dewdrop's muzzle and proudly stepped back.

"Why, thank you, Fawnkit." Purred Dewdrop eating the leaves.

"Maybe some cobwebs as well to stop the bleeding?" Pressed Littlecloud, almost like he was testing her out for something.

"Sure thing, L-Littlecloud!" Said Fawnkit, struggling to remember his name. She trotted over to the cobwebs laying in the corner of the den. She carefully wrapped them around her paw and limped over to Littlecloud.

"Put them on Dewdrop's wound for me."

Fawnkit nodded and gently wrapped the sticky white threads on the wound. Dewdrop winced in pain as the kit's paw came in contact with the wound. But Fawnkit ignored it and successfully wrapped them on.

"Good job, Fawnkit!" Gushed Littlecloud patting her back with his front paw, "That was very, very, good."

Fawnkit puffed out her chest, happy that she has some use. "Can I help again, tomorrow?"

"Of course you can, little one!" Littlecloud said happily. "Make sure to wash your paws of any infections, just in case next time you come. You'll be my little helper."

Fawnkit proudly strutted out of the den and her brothers stared at her.

"You were in there for a while," said Flamekit sniffing. He reeled back and hissed, "You smell bitter now!"

"Fallenstar is going to make you wash off that stench, you know." Pointed out Pinekit.

Fawnkit lashed her tail and said, "I like it. And you know what? I helped Littlecloud heal Dewdrop. He said I was such a good helper."

Pinekit rolled his eyes and growled, "Can't you see what he's doing to you? He's going to make you a stinky medicine cat apprentice!"

Fawnkit tilted her head, "Is that really such a bad thing?"

"Uh, yeah!" Snarled Flamekit, "We won't be able to train together!

Fawnkit twitched her ear. "So?"

Pinekit groaned and said to his brother, "She's being clueless again. Come on, let's go to the elder's and listen to their amazing stories."

The two brothers left Fawnkit alone in the middle of camp.

_A stinky medicine cat._


	2. Down With the Fish-faces!

**Author's Note: I get why some of you are confused about why it's called Autumn's Awakening.**

"**But Fireworksafterdawn," You ask me, "Fallenstar killed the twoleg part of herself! Autumn isn't alive anymore!"**

**Exactly my fellow viewers, I have titled it Autumn's Awakening because it is a metaphorical awakening. Fallenstar isn't sure if killing her human self is the right thing, and she's starting to tear away from her Clan, waking up from the reality that she has called the human world.**

**It might have been a bit confusing for you mostly because this is no longer in Fallenstar's POV. Hope I cleared some things up though. :3**

Flamekit was very annoyed with his sister, furious how she would just betray him like that, and to become some stupid, herb-mixing medicine cat.

Fallenstar stepped out of the nursery and walked over to the medicine den, where her daughter has been going there for a moon now. Flamekit watched as she emerged with Fawnkit babbling about the herbs she has learned about and how fun it is in the medicine den with Littlecloud.

The leader simply nodded and smiled. She stepped into the apprentice den where Pinekit was play fighting with Stempaw. She separated them and carried him by the scruff as she smirked.

She then turned her gaze to Flamekit who stood in the camp with a scowl on his face.

"Come on, Flamey," she purred through a mouthful of fur, "it's time to go to sleep."

Flamekit rolled his eyes and ran into the nursery ahead of them. He flew into the nest and looked up at Fallenstar who laid down beside her son. She nuzzled him and closed her eyes.

Pinekit pressed his paws against her face and mewed, "Momma, aren't you going to tell us a story?"

She purred quietly and whispered, "Not tonight, Pinekit. I had to go on two separate patrols today. I promise, I'll tell you one tomorrow."

Flamekit huffed and stayed away from his sister. Fawnkit was pressed against her belly, purring happily and still stinking like berries and yucky crushed leaves.

"Mom, Fawnkit stinks." Flamekit pointed out.

"Hmm… deal with it, Flamey."

Flamekit growled and lashed his tail over Fawnkit's nose. He smirked as she sneezed and she turned away.

He then laid down and shut his eyes, satisfied with how today went. Starlingwing showed him the edge of the camp and he peered deep into the woods, seeing a fat, happy squirrel and he pointed it out. Then Starlingwing quickly killed the squirrel and let his son eat it.

It was a really good squirrel.

* * *

In the morning, he looked over to his left to see that Fawnkit has already left to go to the medicine den. He yawned and stretched his claws. He wondered what he could do today. He wanted to stick to the warrior code as close as he could and not even step outside of the camp.

He looked behind him and didn't see Fallenstar. He blinked and glanced at Pinekit who was still asleep. "Where did Mom go?"

Pinekit rolled over and yawned, "She went out with the dawn patrol."

Flamekit blinked and walked out of the nursery, seeing a mist has covered the camp. He slowly walked forward and saw Ferretclaw just now stepping out of the warriors den. He nodded at Flamekit then sat down outside.

The tiny ginger tom bounded across the clearing to the medicine den, just for the heck of it.

He walked inside and heard the voices of Littlecloud and Fawnkit.

"See this big black root here? That is comfrey, you can use it to soothe wounds and heal broken bones."

Fawnkit nodded and pawed at a huge fernlike leaf. Then she said, "Isn't this chervil?"

"That's right, Fawnkit. What is chervil used for?"

She hesitated before saying slowly, "You… you can use it to heal infected wounds."

"_And_ help with bellyaches."

"Like juniper?"

"Exactly."

Flamekit rolled his eyes at his sister being a smarty-paws know-it-all. He watched silently as she sorted the herbs and shared jokes with the brown medicine cat. Flamekit didn't really see why the den was so fascinating. It was just a large dip in the ground covered by tree roots and sharp rocks. Inside was worse, it was filled with leaves and flowers just spread out all chaotic with no natural order to them.

Flamekit concluded that he didn't like the medicine den.

He heard a yowl and he perked his ear, looking outside. He exited the den and saw Fallenstar limping and her back leg covered in blood and her pelt torn. Owlclaw's pelt was coated in a thin layer of blood. Applefur and Mistfall helped carry Shrewfoot, who was bleeding badly.

Stoatleap followed close behind the leader, and making sure she didn't topple over.

Littlecloud walked outside and stared in horror at the patrol.

"RiverClan… RiverClan attacked us." Said Stoatleap, as Fallenstar was too tired to say anything, "They just jumped out of the bushes and said that this will be the last time that Sparrowfang terrorizes RiverClan."

Fallenstar limped into the medicine den, passing her kit. Then she muttered to Flamekit, "Get inside the nursery now."

"But Mom, you're hurt, I can maybe-"

"In the nursery. _Now."_ Fallenstar then snarled. Flamekit blinked then darted to the nursery, where he watched the patrol. Shrewfoot looked totally lifeless, and Mistfall's grey fur had scratch marks all over, her eyes blazing with the sense of betrayal to her brother for being so stupid all the time attacking RiverClan patrols.

"What's going on?" Asked Pinekit staring out of the nursery.

Flamekit's fur fluffed out and he whispered, "RiverClan."

Pinekit looked at Flamekit and hissed, "Those fish-breaths, frog-faced morons attacked the dawn patrol with our mother in it? That's impossible!"

"It is, obviously!" Snarled Flamekit, "How dare they attack Fallenstar!"

Twigpaw sullenly trotted into the nursery and pulled out all of the old moss. Then he mutter with his mouth full, "Isn't it terrible?"

"Yeah," agreed Flamekit hotly, "RiverClan needs to pay."

"But we aren't the cats to decide that." Said Twigpaw as he dragged in the new moss and bedding, "Fallenstar decides what's going to happen."

Flamekit and Pinekit watched as Fawnkit and Littlecloud set herbs on the cats' wounded bodies, and mostly putting their attention onto Shrewfoot. He watched as Littlecloud and Fallenstar said something to Fawnkit, then she ran out of the medicine den and walked into the nursery, joining her brothers.

A cold chill of dread snaked down Flamekit's spine, and he blinked, staring at his sister's doey brown eyes. "Did Fallenstar send you back to the nursery too?"

Fawnkit nodded. "She says that it's going to be all right and I don't need to worry about her and the other warriors." She glanced over her shoulder and went on, "That must have been a pretty big patrol to take down that big group of warriors."

"I don't like it." Meowed Pinekit, "What if RiverClan comes to our camp and kills _us_? Remember the story of Happykit?"

Fawnkit grimly hung her head and she looked at Flamekit. "I'm scared too. We just got to trust our mother and hope that things will turn out all right."

Anger boiled in Flamekit's blood and he shouted out, "I hope that she declares war on RiverClan. I heard that a RiverClan tom took away her first life when she became leader."

The kits huddled together, and Flamekit avoided touching Fawnkit's fur. Fear all chilled them to the bone about what the future has to hold for them, but they all knew that it was going to be very grim.

The three kits stayed inside the nursery for the rest of the day, and Fallenstar finally came out of the medicine den and into the nursery, laying down next to her kits.

"Is everything going to be alright?" Asked Pinekit.

Flamekit crawled on top of Fallenstar and said suddenly, "You promised us a story last night."

Fallenstar sighed and said tiredly, "I did, didn't I?"

The two tom kits nodded, but Fawnkit didn't say anything, obviously concerned about her mother, and knowing that the leader needed rest.

"Okay, just promise to be quiet."

"We promise!" Said Pinekit and Flamekit in unison.

Fallenstar positioned herself and she started, "Alright, Blackstar was a wonderful leader." She breathed in, "He was smart, brave, and dependable, and even witty as a fox. He hung on to his lives until the very end, and he was kind and welcoming. He lived each life bravely, like he was reborn each day, and he never took the days for granted. One night, he and his deputy were going to a gathering. At the gathering, Mistystar accused him of harassing her Clan, and he politely denied it. She let it slide, and on the way leaving the gathering, a heavy rain pounded down on all the cats…"

Flamekit has heard this story before, but he always held his breath at this part where it gets sad.

"As Blackstar slid across the tree-bridge, a flash of lightning startled him, and he slipped down into the churning black waters, to his watery grave, to his final death."

Flamekit lashed his tail, the story progressing onward,

"His deputy jumped into the water without hesitation, and she frantically tried to reach him before he lost his final life. However, as he was sinking, the deputy noticed that he wasn't scared of death. He simply sank down, deeper and deeper, wearing a smile on his face that obviously read, _'Take care of my Clan.'_"

Fawnkit sniffed and asked, "Was Blackstar a good leader?"

"Yes, he was the best leader alive in all of the Clans."

"Who was the deputy?" Pinekit said now laid down on his back.

Fallenstar grinned weakly and whispered, "I was his deputy."

Pinekit exchanged a look with Fawnkit as Flamekit finally let go of that breath he was holding. He wished he was alive to know Blackstar.

"Now, it's time to go to sleep." Fallenstar hushed the kits and stood up.

Flamekit looked up at his mom and asked, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to sit vigil for Shrewfoot."

It was like time has stopped in the nursery. The kind, brave grey and black she-cat was now dead? So, Shrewfoot was dead and it's all RiverClan's fault.

"Can I come?"

"No, Flamekit." Said Fallenstar dragging her paws, "You need to protect your siblings for the night."

Flamekit puffed out his chest, "I can do that, Mom."

She weakly smiled. "Thank you, Flamey." Then she trotted over to Shrewfoot as her dead body lay in the center of the clearing. Stoatleap and Owlclaw grieved the hardest, the pale ginger and brown tom's blue eyes were shut tightly and tears spilled out. He choked on his tears and Owlclaw pulled his son close to him.

Flamekit watched his mother scrabble to the High Branch and call out, "We all mourn the loss of Shrewfoot, and I have decided that in honor of her spirit, RiverClan shall pay for the death they have caused, including my own. We will attack them at dusk tomorrow when they least expect it." She dug her claws into the bark like it was the flesh of a certain RiverClan cat, "We will fight with all of our might, and attack at full force and show no mercy!"

ShadowClan yowled in agreement, including Stoatleap screaming the loudest. "Avenge her death!"

"Kill the RiverClanners!" Snarled Ferretclaw.

"No, no more lives shall be spent." Fallenstar growled, "Instead, we will make them suffer very slowly and make their precious streams run red with their blood. No lives will be lost, instead, those lives will be tortured."

The Clan agreed in yowls even louder, enthused at the idea of RiverClan suffering very slowly for those deaths and that savage attack.

"Do you think anyone else will die?" Pinekit meowed curiously.

Fawnkit gulped and Flamekit noticed that what she said was said mostly to herself, "I hope not."


	3. Don't Watch

**Author's Note: Greek mythology reference in here. Cake for the person who finds it!**

Pinekit was hiding his fear for his mom and dad who were going to fight side by side together.

Fallenstar, Starlingwing, Owlclaw, Mistfall, Stoatleap, Oakfur and his apprentice, Twigpaw, Smokefoot, and Snowbird and her apprentice, Birchpaw.

Ivytail and Tawnypelt have volunteered to go as well while the rest of the Clan guards the camp in case the RiverClan scum decides to attack the camp.

"I wish Littlecloud would let me help him." Sighed Fawnkit wistfully, "I would really love to help."

"We get it." Hissed Flamekit, "You really want to help him, no need to go on and on about it."

Pinekit blinked sadly and looked outside, seeing Applefur and the others worriedly pace around. "What if Fallenstar loses another life?" Sparrowfang asked Dawnpelt worriedly.

Dawnpelt snorted and said, "If she loses a life from this fight, you'll only have you and your sister to blame for the battle."

Sparrowfang hung his head in shame and lashed his tail. "I'll protect the nursery." He said. He sat down in the entrance and looked back to see Olivenose and the leader's kits. He forced a smile and said, "I'm sorry."

"We both are." Said Dewdrop walking over to them, "If I didn't get so upset about you mating with Troutstream, then this wouldn't have happened."

"If Troutstream and I didn't become mates," he went on, "Then her father and brother wouldn't have gotten so upset at me." He dipped his head, "I'm even more upset that the kits were all stillborn. We're having too much of that happening recently."

Dewdrop glanced at Pinekit and said sadly, "if your mother loses a life, then you can blame me and Sparrowfang. Mistfall was the only one who kept a level head about all of this mess."

The kits didn't even dare leave each other's sides, in fear for their parents and for the whole Clan.

"She'll be okay." Said Olivenose suddenly, almost like she was trying to convince herself, "Tigerheart will be okay, Fallenstar, everyone will be okay."

Fawnkit looked at Pinekit and shook her head, and they all knew that there will be drawn blood, and even though Fallenstar has said that wounds will sufferable and slow, lives will be lost.

Just then, Pinekit heard a ear-piercing yowl. He looked out of the nursery and saw a silver she-cat with bright orange eyes with a look of hatred burning in her eyes.

The she-cat was followed by a large black tom and even Mistystar herself including many other cats.

"Now, to strike at the heart of the Clan." Hissed Mistystar. She yowled, "Warriors, attack!"

Then the wave of cats charged down into the ShadowClan hollow and Fawnkit yelped, scared. Flamekit pulled his siblings toward the back of the nursery as Olivenose forced herself to get up, she stood in front of the kits protectively.

Pinekit's heart beat fast as the ShadowClan warriors clashed with RiverClan. They tore at each other's fur and blood flew. Sparrowfang and Dewdrop stood their ground like trees in front of the nursery, willing to give their lives for the sins they have commit.

The silver she-cat with orange eyes angrily approached Sparrowfang and hissed in a voice so fierce, she made Flamekit shudder, "Sparrowfang, we were in love once, but you have managed to destroy that part of me as my kits all died, one by one. First, stillborn." She jumped on top of Sparrowfang and Dewdrop watched in horror as she lashed her claws across his face. She went on, "Then, drowned in the lake," another claw across his face, "And finally, sickness. StarClan hates us, and they hated our kits. It was a sign that you must shrivel up and die, just like those kits."

"Troutstream," coughed Sparrowfang, "I still love you."

"Well I don't."

Suddenly, Dewdrop leaped on top of Troutstream and rolled over, pinning her down. Dewdrop hissed and shredded her claws into the silver tabby's stomach. Troutstream snarled and tore her back legs into Dewdrop's stomach. Dewdrop yowled in pain and the two she-cats tumbled over.

Pinekit shut his eyes, not wanting to watch the fight.

"Hey, kits." Breathed out a voice behind Pinekit.

Pinekit, Fawnkit, and Flamekit turned around in the brambles to see a shadowed face with comforting silver eyes.

The male voice went on, "Come with me, you'll be safe from the fight."

Pinekit hesitated.

"Hurry!"

"You smell like a fish." Growled Flamekit. He stood in front of Pinekit and Fawnkit protectively, "Filthy RiverClanner."

The eyes narrowed and the cat broke out of the bushes. Pinekit wasn't able to study him because without warning, the tom scooped up Pinekit and growled, "It's time for Fallen_star_ to pay."

"Pinekit!" Screeched Fawnkit.

The cat darted off into the woods with Pinekit hanging from his jaws. Pinekit screamed for Fallenstar or anyone at all. The darkness swam on and the kit wriggled from his jaws. He knew that the tom had brown fur and silver eyes, but nothing beyond that.

Branches whipped in the kit's face and the tom was gripping his scruff way too hard.

"Mom!" Screamed Pinekit at the top of his lungs, "Dad!"

The tom dug his teeth harder into Pinekit's scruff as an answer.

"Ow, let go of me!"

Suddenly, the tom threw the kitten down onto the dirt harshly and Pinekit coughed. He looked up at the tom and gulped.

"She's going to pay at the cost of one of her kits." The tom barked out, "I'll make sure that your death is painful and slow…"

Just then, the tom pinned the kit down with one claw and Pinekit's heart beat faster than ever. He's going to die! He's going to die at the claws of some filthy RiverClan cat!

"Momma!" Pinekit cried.

The cat dug his claws into Pinekit's skin and blood began to pump out. Young, fresh kit blood. Pinekit winced in pain and screamed again as the tom proceeded to tear at his flesh even more.

Then he grasped Pinekit's torso in his teeth and threw him against a pine tree. Pinekit grunted in pain and slid down onto the ground, blood everywhere now.

Pinekit weakly looked up at the tom's crooked grin.

"Robinwing, get the _hell _away from my kit!"

The tom turned around and saw Fallenstar, severely wounded but still able to fight. Fallenstar darted at Robinwing and quickly sunk her teeth into his neck. He screeched in pain and slumped down. She quickly turned on him and scored her claws across his fur. Blood blossomed as it dragged on, and blood pooled everywhere around the kit and Robinwing.

He tried to choke out something, but Fallenstar only clamped down her claws across his neck and glared deep into his eyes.

She looked at Pinekit and smiled weakly. She whispered two soft words to him, "Don't watch."

Pinekit turned around and didn't watch his mother brutally murder the tom. Pinekit heard a shout of pain then all was deathly silent.

He felt a paw on his shoulder and looked up at his mother, now covered in blood and looks wounded pretty badly.

Fallenstar got close to Pinekit and pulled him closer to her with her bloodied paws. She curled her tail around him. "I'm glad you didn't watch."

* * *

Fallenstar paced around the camp worriedly, now with another dead body lying in camp after the treacherous and risky battle. ShadowClan has lost for the second time.

The dead body was now an unsaturated dark brown tom with ragged black stripes racing across his pelt and traces of blood still on his muzzle.

It was Owlclaw, who has tried too hard to avenge his mate's death.

"That was a very risky battle." Fallenstar said sadly pawing at his fur, "And it's my fault."

"No, Fallenstar," piped up Sparrowfang, "It's all mine for mating with Troutstream."

Fallenstar weakly smiled, "I appreciate the thought, Sparrowfang. But we all have blood on our paws from tonight. We must wash it off, and move on. This battle was a sore loss, and it was my blame for giving Mistystar the reaction that she wanted. Now, two cats lay dead."

Pinekit shivered when she mentioned two. The other being Robinwing.

Littlecloud cleaned off the blood and covered the kit's wounds with fallen oak leaves and yellow petals. The brown tom told Pinekit that he had to stay the night in the medicine den for safety's sake.

Just then, Fallenstar walked into the medicine den and laid down next to her cream and brown tabby son.

"You're safe now, Pinekit. I won't let any cat come that close to killing you ever again."

Pinekit nuzzled the leader and purred, "It's okay, Mom, I'm okay. That cat is gone now."

Fallenstar blinked sadly and said, "That's right, word of the leader is part of the warrior code. I cannot promise that you'll be always safe. Some day, you're going to be a warrior and you'll be out fighting all the time." She rested her muzzle on his head, "But I can say that I will try my best to protect you. Those words are now code."

Pinekit then mewed, "Mom, I want to go back to the nursery."

Fallenstar looked up at Littlecloud and asked, "Can he go back to the nursery now?"

Littlecloud nodded. "Of course, but no play fighting allowed. I don't you to open up those wounds."

Fallenstar gladly brought Pinekit to the nursery and laid down tiredly like she is made of lead. Fawnkit scrambled over on top of her mother and meowed, "Mom, is there something you're not telling us about the battle?"

Flamekit cracked open an eye, "You didn't lose a life, did you?"

Fallenstar gasped like that would be the worst possible thing, "I haven't. I have not lost a life."

Fawnkit grinned and snuggled up close to her siblings and parent. Pinekit felt a lot more hesitant though. He's pretty sure that Fallenstar wasn't telling the truth about her not losing a life. She looked pretty beaten up by the time she got there to save Pinekit.

His siblings have already curled up to sleep, leaving him wide awake to think about Robinwing.


	4. I'm Counting the Moons

"Are you kits ready for your apprentice ceremony?" Asked Fallenstar licking Fawnkit's head relentlessly.

Opposed to her brothers, Fawnkit stayed very still while her mother groomed her. Fawnkit grinned and said, "I'm ready."

"I hope I get Starlingwing as my mentor." Said Flamekit excitedly, "He's just the greatest warrior alive!"

Fallenstar paused and said, "Well, cats don't usually mentor family. Clans don't do that because there's a very high chance that the mentor will go easy on their family member or make sure that they become a warrior, no matter what the assessment says about you." She rubbed her tail across Fawnkit's back, "Besides, I already know who your mentors will be."

Pinekit perked up and asked quickly, "Who!?"

Fallenstar purred in laughter. "Why would I tell you? It'd spoil the surprise."

"I think I already know who I'll get." Said Fawnkit happily as she turned her brown eyes to the apprentice den. She longed to just sit in the medicine den all day and organize herbs with Littlecloud or heal sick and injured cats.

Fallenstar smiled and walked out of the nursery with her kits following. She sat down at the root of the High Branch. "All cats old enough to catch their own prey, join here beneath the High Branch for a Clan meeting."

The cats emerged from their dens and quickly gathered. Fallenstar swept her gaze across the Clan and started, "In turn of apprentices, it proves that ShadowClan will always thrive and remain strong. Flamekit, Pinekit, and Fawnkit, step forward please."

Fawnkit stepped forward more slowly. She glanced at her brothers who looked so excited that they were in serious danger of exploding, as usual.

"Flamekit, from this day onward, you shall be known as Flamepaw." She turned to face her denmate, Ferretclaw, "Ferretclaw, you will train Flamepaw to become the great warrior from the skills you have learned from Oakfur."

Ferretclaw dipped his head and trotted to Flamepaw, and touched noses before sitting down together.

Fallenstar grinned and went on, "Pinekit, from this on until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Pinepaw. Smokefoot, you will mentor Pinekit and teach him everything you know about being a warrior."

Smokefoot did the nose-touch and then Fallenstar turned to her final daughter.

"Fawnkit, you are a special case.

Fawnkit's paws itched with excitement as her mother spoke of this 'special case'.

"…Until you receive your _medicine cat_ name…"

Fawnkit's eyes got wide and she resisted bouncing high into the air. The sunlight dappled her fawn like fur and her brown eyes twinkled like stars.

"You will be known as Fawnpaw." She turned to the medicine cat who sat at the entrance of his den, "Littlecloud, you must teach my daughter how to be a medicine cat that the Clan will be proud of."

Littlecloud dipped his head, "I will do my best, Fallenstar." He pulled himself up and lugged over to the small acorn dappled she-cat.

_"Fawnpaw, Flamepaw, Pinepaw!"_

The Clan cheered out their names and Fawnpaw's heart tickled with pride. She's going to be a medicine cat just like Littlecloud!

"Clan dismissed." Fallenstar leaped down from the root and joined the afternoon patrol.

Fawnpaw looked happily up at her new mentor and said, "Aren't we going to learn about herbs now?"

Littlecloud chuckled, "You've been learning the herbs before you were even able to leave the camp. In fact, let's go out of the camp and I'll show you the territories."

Fawnpaw nodded and the two cats walked out of camp, nodding a hello to the deputy, Oakfur.

Fawnpaw's heart beat faster as she took her first few steps out of the camp. The ground was soft and mushy, and the sweet darkness comforted her. Littlecloud walked over to a bush covered in tiny white flowers.

"Let's take this feverfew back to camp." He said pulling off a clump, "This is where I grow most of my plants. It has the nicest soil in the entire Clan territory. I chose here so that warriors won't be trampling all over my plants."

Fawnpaw nodded, soaking in every little detail.

"Hey, Fawnpaw!"

Fawnpaw turned her head and saw Flamepaw greet her. Next to Flamepaw stood the cream and white warrior, Ferretclaw.

"Ferretclaw's showing me the territory." Flamepaw said happily, "It's such a huge place!"

Fawnpaw nodded in agreement. The two cats then went off into the pine trees. Fawnpaw then snapped out her claws and harvested a clump of feverfew. Littlecloud looked at her and muttered through a mouthful of herbs, "Don't gather too much. If you get too much, then it'll be just a waste of herbs because they'll wilt right after a few days."

Fawnpaw nodded and the two cats began to walk back to the camp. Along the way, she took moss off the roots of the trees for the elders, making her have to carry more than she could handle. The oak leaves crunched under their paws and the duo darted into the camp and walked slowly to the medicine den.

The warm scent of plants and berries sent a chill up her spin as she set down the plants.

"Now, I'll organize them while you give the moss to the elders to drink. Stempaw and his brothers cleaned out their nest yesterday, so don't mind that."

Fawnpaw took the moss in her jaws and took a few steps over to the elder's den. She spat out the moss in front of Snaketail and Whitewater as Tallpoppy was asleep.

Snaketail looked up at her and didn't say anything.

Whitewater answered for him, "He's still upset about Cederheart's death just before you were born." She pawed the moss over to him, "Won't you drink some water, Snaketail?"

Snaketail huffed and turned away.

"Anyway, thank you, Fawnpaw. Are you happy being chosen for medicine cat apprentice?"

"Yes, it's a dream come true!" Fawnpaw exclaimed. Then she heard Tallpoppy snore and she quickly lowered her voice, "I mean, it's amazing."

Whitewater grinned, "That's good when you get the dreams you have hoped to catch."

Fawnpaw dipped her head. "Thank you, Whitewater. I'll see you later." Then she trotted out of the den and headed back to Littlecloud. The brown tabby has finished organizing the herbs and he turned to her with relief shining in his eyes.

"Oh, Fawnpaw," he started, "Just in time. We need to go back out into the woods and collect some oak leaves. It seems as though I've used them all when Pinepaw was attacked. I hope you don't mind."

Fawnpaw shook her head. "I don't mind at all. Let's go."

The duo headed back out into the forest and swamp mushed between their toes. Littlecloud looked down at her as the apprentice picked up several leaves with her mouth. Littlecloud pat her shoulder and said, "I suppose I should give you a grand tour of the territory."

Fawnpaw was about to say that the territory is way to big but it was like Littlecloud read her mind, "We can visit the ThunderClan border first and check out the lake. I'm curious if there's any frost there yet."

Fawnpaw nodded and they continued to walk. Eventually, the trees thinned out into oak trees and brambles. When they got to the scent line, Fawnpaw wrinkled her nose. She would have commented on the revolting stench of the other Clan if her mouth wasn't filled with oak leaves at the moment.

Along the border, she picked up more leaves, much more plentiful by now.

"The medicine cat of ThunderClan is Jayfeather right now. But I have a feeling that he's going to get an apprentice soon. Especially with Briarlight always in there with him."

"Who's Briarlight?" Muttered Fawnpaw through the leaves.

"When Briarlight was an apprentice, a tree fell down and broke her spine, paralyzing her from the waist down. So now she spends all of her time in the medicine den. This has happened before in ShadowClan with Russetfur's first litter of kits, including Rowanclaw. Russetfur and Rowanclaw were both deputies before Fallenstar took their positions. One of her kits had a falling log crashing down onto him, and it broke his spine. He didn't exercise enough, and he died of greencough."

Fawnpaw blinked with sympathy at the feeling of dread filling the area, Littlecloud obviously feeling guilty about what has happened.

"Let's check out the lakeshore." Said Littlecloud changing the subject. Fawnpaw followed her mentor deeper into the woods. She dropped two leaves along the way and she scrambled to pick them back up. Littlecloud got down and helped her and she grinned graciously.

The two cats finally reached the lake shore, and Fawnpaw set down the leaves. She stared out across the lake, many leaves speckling the lake. The water reflected the blue sky and the orange and green trees. She watched a small maple leaf land on the lake in front of her, causing endless ripples.

Littlecloud breathed out a sigh of relief, "Thank StarClan that leaf bare is late this year. We'll have more time to collect all the herbs we need before it hits us hard." He sniffed the air and went on, "Judging by the nip in the air, it's not that far off. It just might snow tomorrow."

"It'll be my first snowfall!" Fawnpaw bursted out.

Littlecloud nodded. "Fallenstar came to the Clan around this time of year as well, many moons ago." He drew a few circles on the ground and several half and crescent shaped circles, "I've been studying the moon patterns since the first blossoms of new leaf, and I've been counting the moons until new leaf blossoming time comes again. I'm curious how many moons there are in four seasons."

"That's a good experiment." Said Fawnpaw warmly, "How many have you counted so far?"

He thought for a moment and replied, "Nine moons so far. But I wouldn't go as far as give each moon a name. Wouldn't that be ridiculous and confusing?"

Fawnpaw chuckled, "It would, wouldn't it?"

"We'd lose track after a while." He went on. He blinked then said, "Look at me, rambling. I was talking about leaf bare and I find myself telling you about my moon experiment."

"It's fine." Fawnpaw said looking out at the lake, "elders told me that the snow is cold, fluffy, and white. So I'll know what it is when I see it, right?"

He nodded.

"I've heard about frost too. Is frost like snow?"

He batted at the maple leaf and said, "Well, frost is like a cross between ice and snow; ice being just a frozen version of water. Frost coats the surface of the lake, and when it gets cold enough, it turns to ice."

Fawnpaw picked up her oak leaves and flicked her tail.

He laughed a little, "You're right, it's time to head back to camp."

Littlecloud helped loosen the leaf load by carrying several for her. Fawnpaw smiled at Littlecloud, so far really liking her mentor.


	5. Sometimes It's Too Dark

Flamepaw lashed out a paw a Ferretclaw but the cream and brown tom immediately sidestepped, leaving Flamepaw face-planting into the dirt.

"You got to predict where I'm going." Said Ferretclaw sheathing and unsheathing his claws.

"That's impossible." Scoffed Flamepaw.

Ferretclaw circled the fluffy ginger tom and said smoothly, "It will become like second nature to you eventually."

Flamepaw spat out the dirt in his mouth and then focused on the way he was leaning to. Without warning, Flamepaw leaped onto where Ferretclaw jumped to and landed squarely on his back and threw him off balance. Ferretclaw toppled over and he grinned.

"Good job, Flamepaw." He stood up and shook his fur and stared at the lake, where Flamepaw saw Littlecloud and Fawnpaw. Flamepaw snorted, stinking medicine cats.

The sun was beginning to set as the two medicine cats walked away from the lake.

"It's getting dark." Said Ferretclaw, "We'll be going out for the moonlight patrol with Pinenose tonight."

Flamepaw nodded as the apprentice and mentor walked back to camp. Along the way, Ferretclaw picked a few flowers. Flamepaw asked what they were for, and Ferretclaw simply stated that the medicine cat might need them before leaf bare hit.

The duo entered the camp and split off to their dens. Flamepaw flopped down in the nest next to his brothers and heaved out a breath. Pinepaw noticed him and blinked. "Hard time training?"

"Yeah…"

Pinepaw laughed and said, "Of course you had a hard time, you haven't truly been training until today while I ran around the camp, keeping fit."

Flamepaw was about to respond, but a yowl shattered the air from the nursery. It sounded like Olivenose was having her kits.

Pinepaw blinked and yawned, ignoring the queen's yowls, "I had a pretty easy training day. Smokefoot only showed me the territory while on patrol with Twigpaw and Oakfur."

"I heard my name."

Flamepaw looked up to the entrance of the apprentice den and spotted the brown tom with pale blue eyes. Twigpaw trotted into the den and nestled down next to Pinepaw. Pinepaw moved to make room for his denmate.

Twigpaw yawned, "I also hear Olivenose screaming." Followed by another scream.

Flamepaw chuckled, "It's funny that my sister is already exposed to nightmare inducing birth."

"You were ugly when you were born." Said Stempaw jumping in followed by Birchpaw, "You were just a sack of whining and kicking flesh."

Birchpaw held back a laugh resulting in a snort.

Flamepaw laid back his ears and growled, "I bet Applefur was screaming too."

"Oh, remember how loud Fallenstar screamed?" Inquired Birchpaw suddenly, "I swore one of my ears went deaf that day."

Stempaw chuckled and lashed his tail over Flamepaw's ear, "I'm kidding of course. You were pretty awesome and so is Fallenstar. Her stories are the best!"

"I like the story about the twoleg-cat named Skyfall." Said Twigpaw, "That was probably the best."

Flamepaw twitched his ears and watched as the brothers conversed between each other. He looked to Pinepaw and said, "What do you think about Fawnpaw being a medicine cat now?"

Pinepaw thought for a minute and replied, "I originally thought that medicine cats are just stinking crazy elders, but I realize that it's vital to the Clan. I realized that when Littlecloud bound up my wounds when Robinwing attacked." He looked outside of the den and saw Littlecloud and Fawnpaw announce that Olivenose has given birth to two healthy she-kits.

Flamepaw narrowed his eyes. "But she's going to become a crazy elder too! She was a super cool sister until she just betrayed us and became a medicine cat. We can't be friends anymore."

Pinepaw blinked, "You can still be friends. Besides, with you always fighting Ferretclaw, you'll eventually get your wounds dressed by your sister as well."

Flamepaw huffed and rolled over. "I need to get some sleep before the moonlight patrol Ferretclaw told me about."

Pinepaw shrugged, "suit yourself." Then he walked out of the den with Birchpaw to clean out the elder's den.

Just then in turn like a trade off, Flamepaw saw Fawnpaw bound into the apprentice den. She stuck her tongue out and said, "That was so gross! I had to lick off Olivenose's kits birth-sacks!" She drug her paw pad across her tongue and growled. Then she softened up and admitted, "The kits are pretty cute though, they both look like Tigerheart. She decided to name then Duckkit and Plumkit."

"That's nice."

Fawnpaw blinked. "I, for one, am going to head over to the fresh-kill pile and eat a pigeon that Dad caught."

Flamepaw stretched out his claws and shut his eyes, "Fawnpaw, I really need to get to sleep for the moonlight patrol."

She shrugged and bounded out of the den with Twigpaw and Stempaw. Stempaw flashed a look at Flamepaw and smirked. In return, the ginger tabby stuck his tongue out and kept his eyes shut.

Stupid Fawnpaw with her stupid herbs and her stupid friends…

* * *

"Get up, Flamepaw, it's time for the patrol."

Flamepaw yawned and looked up at Ferretclaw and Pinenose. He looked around him and saw that Pinepaw, Stempaw and Twigpaw were sleeping.

"Where's Birchpaw?" Asked Flamepaw yawning loudly.

Pinenose answered for Ferretclaw, "He and Snowbird went out for hunting." She nodded at Ferretclaw and said, "Let's head out."

Flamepaw walked out of the den blearily, and trotted behind the two warriors into the forest.

"We'll head over to the RiverClan border just in case those fish-faces decide to be stupid and attack again." Growled Ferretclaw, obviously thinking of Sparrowfang as he dug his claws into the earth.

Pinenose rolled her eyes. "I were RiverClan, I wouldn't want to waste my energy on attacking the same Clan twice. If that did happen, Fallenstar would call it out on a full-blown war, getting WindClan and possibly even ThunderClan to help them against RiverClan."

Ferretclaw nodded in agreement, unsheathing his claws, "Still, it's better to be wary."

Flamepaw remained silent as they reached the stream for the border and they walked upstream. Flamepaw repeatedly looked over his shoulder just in case some RiverClan cat pounced on them unsuspectingly.

When they reached the end of the stream and territory, Ferretclaw looked around and decided, "Let's double back and head to the Clan. Then we'll be done for the moonlight patrol."

Flamepaw felt his eyelids get heavier and heavier each minute that passed by. Suddenly, he felt a light shove from his mentor, snapping him awake. Ferretclaw glared at his apprentice. "Stay alert," he said, "We cannot afford to sleepwalk on the job."

Flamepaw tried his best to stay awake and at least look like he's alert. He lashed his tail and swiveled his ear, occasionally glancing across the stream.

It wasn't long before Pinenose declared it's time to get back to the Clan. Flamepaw wanted to scream in delight, but exhaustion and tiredness got him beat.

They trotted on through the darkness, Ferretclaw's cream and grey pelt being the only light in the darkness.

The camp was totally silent, like it was completely dead.

"Head to your nest." Said Ferretclaw flicking his tail to dismiss him, "You've had a long day."

Flamepaw nodded a thanks and dragged his body to the apprentice den. He got to his nest in the front of the den and he immediately fell asleep.

_ "I originally thought that medicine cats are just stinking crazy elders"_ Flamepaw remembered his brother's words, _"But I realize that it's vital to the Clan. I realized that when Littlecloud bound up my wounds when Robinwing attacked."_

Even though medicine cats are important, he can't really spend any more time with his sister.

He thought about Pinepaw's words a little more. Maybe he's right, just because Fawnpaw's duties are a little different from her siblings', they could still be friends and hang out from time to time.

But Flamepaw wanted to train with his siblings. He wanted them to all learn fighting moves and be perfectly in sync with one another in battle.

However, Flamepaw can't have that.

After trying to sleep, he heard his stomach growl furiously and he sighed. He should probably eat something.

He left the den and approached the fresh-kill pile with only a few measly morsels of prey, one of which being a mouse. He took the mouse and carried it to the apprentice den. In his nest, he settled down and bit into the flesh, and relishing the sweet bloody taste.

He pushed Fawnpaw out of his mind and chewed very quietly in the darkness.

Flamepaw finished up the mouse and he once more curled up to sleep. He blinked sadly and wrapped his fluffy ginger tail over his nose . He swam out into an ocean of shadows and listened calmly to the sound of the whistling wind just outside of the den stirring the leaves into the den.

Leaves fell and swirled across the camp, and little did each sibling know, that by each day that passed, the bond that tied them together was getting more and more strained.


	6. Retying a Rope

The three apprentices walked together heading to the gathering. This was going to be their first gathering, and Pinepaw wasn't really nervous as he thought he would be. He hopped across the tree bridge while Fawnpaw walked across much more carefully, hearing the stories about Blackstar who has slipped off and drowned during a storm at a gathering.

The three apprentices followed quickly after Fallenstar and their mentors. Pinepaw watched as his mother climbed up the tallest tree on the island and sat down.

He watched as Fawnpaw followed her mentor to several other herb smelling cats.

"Let the gathering begin!" Cried out a dark brown tabby tom at the top of the tree.

Fallenstar blinked and said coldly, "I shall start off the gathering." Then she said quickly, "I believe we have moved past the battles between RiverClan a few moons ago." She nodded.

Pinepaw nodded, remembering that the battle actually happened a few moons ago, meaning that the leaders have already talked about it.

However, Mistystar still gave a stone cold glare.

Fallenstar cleared her throat, "ShadowClan has three new apprentices, Pinepaw, Fawnpaw, and Flamepaw."

The Clans cheered out for the new ShadowClan apprentices, and Pinepaw's chest filled up with pride. He loved that feeling when so many cats cried out his name all at once.

"ShadowClan also has two new kits born by Olivenose; Duckkit and Plumkit. The prey is running well, and leaf fall has been generous this year." She dipped her head and stepped back, facing a brown tabby tom. "You may go now, Onestar."

Onestar lashed his tail and said, "Unfortunately, the deputy of WindClan, Ashfoot has died. Heathertail is now the deputy of WindClan."

The Clans cheered out Heathertail's name and Pinepaw basically zoned out when Mistystar and Bramblestar spoke. Bramblestar mentioned something about some cat deciding to be Jayfeather's apprentice and Mistystar mentioned some 'Swallowpaw' as the newest apprentice.

He felt a nudge in his ribs and he faced Twigpaw, "Hey, you can't fall asleep on a gathering."

"Was I about to?" He asked tilting his head.

Twigpaw nodded.

When the leaders have finished speaking, the cats began to mingle. Twigpaw looked over to the RiverClan bunch and grinned mischeviously. "Swallowpaw is pretty cute, isn't she?"

Pinepaw forced back a blush and he turned to the RiverClan bunch of apprentices. He spotted the newest apprentice. She was very dark grey and looked slightly blue colored. She had bright, mint colored eyes. She had a tail ringed with white and a white underbelly. She was sitting down and she stood up erect.

"But I don't like she-cats." Pointed out Pinepaw, "I don't think I'm old enough."

Stempaw shoved between Pinepaw and his brother and he stared at the RiverClan she-cat. He blinked and said, "Yeah, she's pretty cute. She's also half-clan."

"Really?" Asked Pinepaw.

"Yeah, she's the only surviving daughter of Sparrowfang and Troutstream in a litter of four." Said Twigpaw interrupting his brother, "she's the result of an accidental affair."

"That's not a nice thing to say." Pinepaw said hotly, "She can't help it. I'm sure that her Clan loves her."

Stempaw rolled his eyes.

But Pinepaw couldn't help but agree she is definitely a pretty cat. While the rest of her Clan wore ugly scars on their bodies or constantly wore a scowling face, she outshined them all with her radiating innocence. Her face was unscathed, and her pelt shiny and taken care of. It was obvious that Troutstream doted over her, especially since she is her only surviving child.

"ShadowClan," cried out Fallenstar, "it is time for us to take our leave."

ShadowClan parted away from their other Clan friends and joined their group. Pinepaw stole another glance at Swallowpaw. He gasped and looked away blushing when she caught his eye too. Then a soft sound broken his eardrums.

Was that… a light giggle?

His ear tips grew red hot and he gasped, feeling a hard shoulder bump him. He looked to his right and spotted his brother and sister standing together.

"I spotted Pinepaw mooning over a cute she-cat." Said Flamepaw smugly.

Fawnpaw grinned, "I couldn't help but notice you staring at her."

"I wasn't staring!" Protested Pinepaw nervously. His tail twitched angrily, "Stempaw just pointed her out to me and I noticed her, it's not that big of a deal."

"She and Shadepaw are the only apprentices in RiverClan right now." Said Fawnpaw matter-of-factly, "I see a very high probability that they're going to become mates some day, showing that they are the only compatible partners in the Clan, everyone else being much too old for them."

Pinepaw looked away, feeling incredibly flustered. He didn't like Swallowpaw, Stempaw and his brothers just stated what they saw directly to Pinepaw. "Can we quit this conversation?" He asked, "I don't like it."

Flamepaw was about to flash out another retort but Fawnpaw swatted her tail over his ear. Flamepaw glanced at his sister as she said, "Seriously Flamepaw, just stop it." She looked back to the front of the Clan and rolled her eyes, "she's just the newest apprentice of RiverClan, and it's not a big deal. So what if our denmates pointed her out to our brother?"

Flamepaw rolled his eyes in return, imitating his sister. But he remained quiet afterwards.

Everyone entered the camp and were greeted warmly by the other warriors. Pinepaw spotted Olivenose trailing after her excited kits trampling straight to their father. "Tigerheart!" Gasped Duckkit bouncing at this point, "Was the gathering great? What happened there? Did a fight break out?"

Tigerheart chuckled and ruffled his daughter's head fur, "It was a fine gathering. I wished I could bring you along."

Olivenose purred and dragged her kits back inside the nursery.

"But Dad has to have more to say." Said Plumkit fluffing out her brown and white tabby fur, her blue eyes flashing with annoyance, "Not just that the gathering was 'fine'."

Olivenose looked on at her kits suspiciously and meowed, "I know your tricks young lady," she picked up Plumkit by the scruff and went on, "You're just trying to avoid your bedtime."

"We are not!" Protested Duckkit scrambling after her mother and sister into the nursery.

Stempaw shoved past Pinepaw to the apprentice den as he said, "I'm tired now, hurry up, guys!"

Pinepaw reluctantly dragged his paws across the ground as Flamepaw and the rest of the toms moved past Fawnpaw and Pinepaw. Fawnpaw blinked and growled, "frog-brained toms."

Pinepaw flashed a look at his sister. She blinked and chuckled nervously, "Oh, uh, not you of course. You're much more polite."

"Thanks for pointing out I'm like a she-cat." Snorted Pinepaw.

"I didn't say you're like a she-cat."

Pinepaw lightly batted at the brown dappled she-cat. She grinned as her brother headed to the apprentice den and walked into his nest at the back of the den.

He felt Birchpaw nestle down beside him and Pinepaw cracked open an eye. "Was your first gathering like that?" He asked.

Birchpaw yawned and nodded, "Yeah, pretty much."

"So will they all be like that?"

"Pretty much." The black tabby repeated. He curled up in a small ball and began to snore once more.

Pinepaw shut his eyes and began to dream about that gathering again.

And for some reason, he was dreaming of being frozen in the moment thinking about that pretty blue and white she-cat.

* * *

"Time for you to clean out the elder's bedding! Afterwards, we're going on a hunting patrol with your sister." Shouted Smokefoot, directing that comment straight at his apprentice.

Pinepaw opened his eyes and yawned, staring outside at the rest of the Clan. He noticed that all of the apprentices were already gone and out on their duties.

"Come on, I don't have all day." He huffed leaving.

Pinepaw stretched his tightened muscles, and wondered why Fawnpaw was going on a patrol with him. Maybe even medicine cats have to learn the basics of being a warrior.

He headed out of the den and looked around the clearing, and noticed that frost was coating the ground. Pinepaw set a paw on the frost and quickly retracted, hating the icy chill that crawled up his spine.

Pinepaw gingerly set another paw down and kept it there. He then put all paws on the ground, and headed across the camp to the other side of the tree where the Clan always met under. He sliced off a large clump of moss and looked up, seeing Duckkit trying to peel off the moss.

"Here," he said slicing off the moss from the tree root with his claws, "let me help."

Duckkit looked up at him with awe. "Thank you, Pinepaw! Olivenose said that I can go and help the apprentices gather moss for the elders."

Pinepaw knew why. She was probably sent out of the den to gather moss because she's always being such a nuisance to her mother and much calmer, logical sister.

Her dark brown fur was so dark, it almost looked black, and it contrasted against the frost. She looked up at him and smiled, "I want to try to get some moss by myself."

Pinepaw nodded and crouched low, "You got to make sure that your claws are unsheathed. You have to pretend that the moss is a big fat badger. You are trying to swipe off its fur from the tree bark."

Duckkit then nodded and stuck out her tongue in concentration. She then clumsily lashed out her claw at the moss, and tore it in half. Pinepaw helped her get the rest of the moss off of the root.

She nodded her thanks and carried as much moss as she could, tumbling to the elder's den. Pinepaw walked slowly after her. He set down the moss outside and told Duckkit that she can help by putting in the new moss.

Duckkit waited as Pinepaw took out the stinking old bedding outside of the camp. When he walked back, he and Duckkit helped set up the new moss.

"Thank you, Pinepaw. You didn't even complain like Flamepaw or Stempaw do." Said Whitewater gratefully.

"I helped!" Squeaked Duckkit shuffling her paws as if looking for attention.

"Of course you did, dear," purred Tallpoppy, "You helped very well."

Snaketail grunted and muttered, "This clump is covered in dead leaves. And it's cold."

Whitewater turned to Snaketail and hissed, "All of the moss is cold, it's the start of leaf bare, toad-brain. And I personally like the leaves. They add a little bit of warmth."

Snaketail snorted and laid down his head, "'like the leaves' my tail."

Tallpoppy glared at him then looked back to Duckkit, "Don't mind Snaketail. He needs to work on his manners."

"How can I when I'm stuck in a den full of she-cats always lecturing me?"

"Shut up, Snaketail. Elders like you should be seen and not heard." Whitewater snarled.

"I'll be seen and not heard when I'm dead and my vigil is being held!"

Pinepaw laid back his ears and crawled out of the den, leaving behind Duckkit who quickly asked for a story to end the arguing. Pinepaw started to hear the elders talk about how Fallenstar became the leader. Pinepaw puffed out chest, hearing the amazing adventures and daring romances of the story.

"Time for the patrol." Said Smokefoot with Fawnpaw and Crowfrost.

Fawnpaw grinned at her brother as he joined the patrol out into the shadowy forest.


	7. A Broken Wing

**Author's Note: In case you didn't catch it, (which you probably didn't) the greek mythology reference is the battle of Helen and Paris. The battle between RiverClan and ShadowClan was the huge battle referencing to the city of Troy. Helen is supposed to be Troutstream, being the beautiful she-cat of the country. Sparrowfang is the naïve Paris, who has fallen in love with her and became mates. Now there's the battle all because of their love. (Actually, I should probably make Troutstream's life into a fanfic…)**

This was Fawnpaw's first time hunting. She remembered that Littlecloud has told her,

_"Even medicine cats need to learn how to hunt and fight."_

She stood by Pinepaw and Crowfrost, who both seemed very neutral about the whole scenario. She turned to Pinepaw and asked, "Have you hunted before?"

"Just once before the gathering." He admitted, "I don't know much. I only caught a pathetic lizard."

"It was a good lizard." Replied Fawnpaw licking her lips, "I thought it tasted great."

Pinepaw shrugged.

Smokefoot stopped at a holly bush, just beginning to bloom in the cold weather. "We're going to split up and meet back here at sundown with all the prey we have collected. Pinepaw will go with me, and Fawnpaw will hunt with Crowfrost." Pinepaw scrambled up to his mentor and Smokefoot said, "Let's go."

The patrol split up into two parts, and Fawnpaw struggled to keep up with Crowfrost's speedy pace. She didn't bother to ask him to slow down though, she's a strong she-cat, she can keep up with him. The forest's swirling pine needles whooshed right past her and she quickly ducked her head into her chest fur. She rose back up, feeling fur all over her nose. She blinked then sneezed, the air catching her breath.

"What's happening to my fur?" She asked curiously.

Crowfrost looked at her and answered, "Ah, yes, it's your first time shedding your fur. Fur does that for the winter."

Fawnpaw blinked and immediately rubbed her paw on her nose, taking off the excess fur.

Crowfrost stopped and slunk down low. Clumsily, Fawnpaw ducked down as well, copying every one of his movements solidly and awkwardly.

Over his shoulder, she saw a pigeon plucking at the ground. Her mouth began to water as her paws slid carefully off the frost.

Crowfrost's muscles bunched up tightly then pounced from where he stood, landing directly on the pigeon. The grey bird struggled for a little bit but it then became deathly still as he delivered a powerful bite to the neck.

"That was great, Crowfrost!" Said Fawnpaw leaping up, so ready to taste the pigeon and relieve her mouth of the watering saliva.

She watched as he covered the pigeon in several dead leaves at the root of a tree. He trotted back to the medicine cat apprentice and twitched his ear. "I would like to see you track some prey."

Fawnpaw's ear suddenly lay back, "I-I can't! I'm only just starting, I hardly even know where to hunt."

"For starters, you can sniff the air."

She nodded and stuck her nose up high. She opened her mouth as well, and let all of the scents come awash into her nostrils and mouth. The cold, frosty forest mixed with traces of pine leaves invaded her senses, but then a sudden gush of warmth and blood entered.

She gasped and looked around, and she pinpointed where the scent was. She sniffed the air again and began to walk in the direction of the scent.

Slowly, it grew stronger and stronger, continuing to distill the frosty and pine tree scented air.

She felt Crowfrost's tail halt her and she looked downwards to see a squirrel.

"Just copy what I have done." Crowfrost whispered, "Now just get down and pounce."

Fawnpaw disliked how vague the commands sounded, however, she decided to not argue and just do as he says. The dappled she-cat got down and began to slowly inch to the unsuspecting prey. Unfortunately, she didn't account for her loud, dragging paws that alerted the squirrel of her presence.

Fawnpaw gasped and held her breath, hoping it would help.

Then it darted off.

Fawnpaw growled in frustration to herself and she ran after it. Her paws skimmed the frozen earth and her teeth were bared, determined to catch that squirrel.

She noticed that the squirrel slowly began to tire, and when so, she pushed her paws off of the ground and she leaped forward, her claws catching onto the tail.

The animal yelped and she looked over at Crowfrost chasing after her. She blinked and held down the struggling squirrel, suddenly feeling hesitant to kill it.

"Deliver the killing bite!" Said Crowfrost, "Kill it before it gets away!"

Before Fawnpaw could think of what she was doing, she dipped her head down and snapped its neck. A tiny squeak emanated from the mouth and she stood back, her muzzle now blooded. She swiped her tongue over her lips and looked at Crowfrost who proudly stood onward, looking at her.

Crowfrost grinned and set his paws on her shoulder. "I take it that this is your first kill?"

Fawnpaw felt guilt wash over her. She wasn't built for running to kill squirrels. She nodded weakly and stared down at the tiny dead body in front of her. So lifeless, and now so cold.

She slowly wrapped her jaws around the squirrel and walked back over to where Crowfrost set down his pigeon. Fawnpaw set it down on the ground and buried it in leaves.

Fawnpaw concluded that she hated hunting.

* * *

Fawnpaw stood facing her brother and she grinned half-heartedly. Pinepaw returned the smile, only brighter.

Smokefoot looked at his apprentice and said to Crowfrost, "Pinepaw and I have caught a thrush, a toad, and a nice, fat crow. What about you?"

"Fawnpaw caught a squirrel. She did scare it off, but she quickly regained her footing and chased it down."

"It must have been a stupid squirrel if it didn't climb up a tree." Said Smokefoot laughing.

Fawnpaw shuffled her feet.

"We also caught a pigeon and a mouse."

Smokefoot nodded and picked up his prey, a thrush and a toad in his mouth while Pinepaw carried a crow and the pigeon."

Fawnpaw got to carry her squirrel while Crowfrost picked up the mouse. Fawnpaw still felt horrible about taking another life. But if she were to fit in this Clan, she has to learn to hunt as well. Then again, she's just a stinking medicine cat.

The patrol entered the Clan and each set their carried fresh-kill into the pile. Pinepaw let Fawnpaw take the first bite, but she felt sick to her stomach. Instead of eating the squirrel, she chose the pigeon, and gnawed it carefully.

Pinepaw ate the mouse and he took note of how quiet she is. So he looked up with blood on his face, "You were silent ever since we met back at the holly bush. Is something wrong?"

Fawnpaw shook her head, too embarrassed to admit the problem.

"I know you." Pinepaw said while taking another bite, "there's something wrong."

Fawnpaw finally caved in after taking in another mouthful of food. She swallowed it and said in a hushed tone, "I felt guilty when I killed that squirrel."

Pinepaw tilted his head oddly, "That's really weird. That shouldn't be weird. I felt no trace of guilt when I caught the thrush." He nodded his head to the speckled brown and white bird lying next to him, "So why would you?"

"Maybe it has something to do with being a medicine cat," Wondered Fawnpaw out loud, "Yet I remember hating the mere thought of hurting other cats or killing prey even when I was a kit."

"Perhaps you should go out for another hunt until you get used to it." Suggested Pinepaw. He stood up and cleaned off his muzzle. "Well, I'm going to my nest. See you tomorrow."

Fawnpaw nodded slowly as he got up and walked slowly to the apprentice den.

_I always can hunt again. It wouldn't hurt anyone if I did so._

Fawnpaw decided that she's going to head out once more. So she shoved her prey aside and walked over out into the woods without any warnings. She didn't want to tell Littlecloud about what her plan was. Fawnpaw was worried that Littlecloud would start suspecting she would be a better warrior than a medicine cat, so it'd be better to keep it secret.

She blinked when a tiny white shard of thin ice landed on her nose. She looked closely at it, admiring the swirling patterns she has never seen before. She realized that it was the snow Littlecloud told her about. She stuck out her tongue and a tiny white chunk of frost landed.

She brought her tongue back in and grinned. How fun!

Suddenly, she heard a quiet chirp of pain. She swiveled her ears upwards and slinked down, thinking of what an easy hunt it would be if her intended prey was already injured.

The chirp rang out again, and she slinked on in the darkness. She peeked her head over a thick set of bushes and saw a smooth clearing, with a black splotch right in the center. Feathers flew off of the figure, and Fawnpaw cautiously walked forward.

It was a raven, and its wing was bent at a strange angle. Blood splattered on the wings and it repeated cries of pain. Fawnpaw got up to the raven and it stared at her with leaf brown eyes. She gently nudged a paw at the wing and it cawed painfully.

Fawnpaw jerked back and she rubbed her paw, looking for an injured spot. When her paw rested on an area where a bone jutted out, she carefully licked the wound and laid down next to the raven. She somehow knew that what she was doing was so wrong and unnatural, but something inside of her screamed that this creature had a soul and a life just like her. It was a quiet moment of recognition and realization.

The bird stared at her, its chest quickly heaving up and down. She silently promised the bird that she'll be right back, and she darted back into the forest to her Clan. She slipped into the medicine den and grabbed all of the needed herbs; thyme, comfrey, cobwebs, and raspberry leaves.

She took all of them into her mouse and she sprinted back into the forest. Snow was coming down in gentle flurries now, but she didn't mind the nip in the air tugging at her pelt, telling her to head back to her den and curl up to forget about the dying bird.

She got back to the clearing and luckily, the bird was still there. Fawnpaw got down low and she nudged the thyme and raspberry leaves to its beak.

"Just swallow these plants," she whispered, "I promise it will ease the pain."

Almost like the raven actually understood her, it gently picked up the two plants in the beak and swallowed them, all the while as it's brown eyes remained fixed on the brown cat.

"Now just stay still… this will sting, but it's for the better." Fawnpaw carefully wrapped up the cobwebs around the wounded wing and she fumbled along the way, shocked and breathing fast that she should be hunting this bird. This _injured prey_ is being healed by its predator, and its not moving or trying to fly off. It was almost as if the raven knew that it was safe with the feline.

_It's so exposed…_ observed Fawnpaw starting to chew up the comfrey roots, _yet this bird is putting all of its remaining trust into me._

Then she thought for a second.

_What if its not moving because its simply giving up, thinking I'm going to kill it?_

Thinking of that, Fawnpaw stepped back and let the bird up.

The raven blinked at the cat and hesitated before waddling off. Fawnpaw lashed her tail, like she was telling it to just leave.

The raven waddled up to her and Fawnpaw had to look down at the bird. The bird then looked behind it and then back at Fawnpaw. _Follow me,_ said the so obvious actions.

Fawnpaw proceeded to follow the black bird into the shadows of the pine forest. It guided her to a tree with a hollow just high enough for Fawnpaw to reach her head into. She gently wrapped her paws under the raven and she carried it up to the hollow. The raven nestled in and chirped in thanks.

She grinned and tilted her head. She began to search around the tree for long strands of grass. She got all the stalks she could find and she stuffed them into the hollow. Fawnpaw then retraced her paw prints and gathered up a few feathers for the raven. She sprinted back and even set the feathers inside.

She watched in fascination as the raven began to weave the materials into a nest almost like it was magic, right before the cat's eyes.

Fawnpaw had a feeling tearing in her gut that this is the first time in Clan history that a cat has decided to heal and help their prey instead of killing it and dragging it back to the camps.

Fawnpaw concluded that the raven was female, judging its small size to other ravens she has seen the Clan catch. Fawnpaw also decided that this bird needed a name to call by. But Fawnpaw just couldn't choose a name willy-nilly. She looked at the raven nestled into the nest. She prodded it gently with a paw and whispered, "Do you have a name?"

The raven blinked at Fawnpaw and ruffled her black iridescent feathers.

Fawnpaw turned her gaze to the injured wings and said quietly, "How about Snow? You know, since I met you injured in my first snow-fall?"

The bird called out in agreement.

Fawnpaw grinned at Snow. "That's it then; can you promise me that you'll be here tomorrow?"

The bird blinked and twitched her feathers once more.

Fawnpaw has finally found a friend she could relate to. However, that friend was supposed to be her prey. That friend was supposed to be eaten by her Clanmates.

She tucked in more moss in the nest and whispered quietly, "is it breaking the warrior code if I'm healing the animals I'm supposed to murder?"


	8. The Starving Brat

**Author's Note: I have messed up Ferretclaw's description **_**twice!**_** Once, I said he was white and cream, then I said he was brown and cream. Neither of those are the correct descriptions.**

**Ferretclaw is actually a grey tom with patches of cream and a cream colored mask. Hope this clears up his description. :D**

"Has anyone seen Fawnpaw?"

Flamepaw was just about to leave the camp with his mentor when Littlecloud burst out of his den.

"I didn't see her this morning, she was gone all night." He went on, regardless whether a cat answered him or not, "Flamepaw, if you see your sister, please tell her that she's to immediately meet me in the medicine den."

Flamepaw nodded. "Of course, Littlecloud. I have no problem with that."

Littlecloud nodded weakly and walked very slowly back to his den.

Ferretclaw looked down at his apprentice and said, "We got to get to the RiverClan patrol now, I'm not going to wait up for Smokefoot and Pinepaw."

Flamepaw nodded and followed his mentor out into the shining sun. He looked down at the ground, hating the feeling of snow, but chose not to complain about it.

"Wait!"

Flamepaw turned around to see his pale brown –almost cream- and darker brown patched sibling bounding over to him. He was panting and he shook his head. Flamepaw looked around, seeing Smokefoot wasn't with him. "Where's your mentor?"

Pinepaw looked behind him and said sadly, "Smokefoot's in the medicine den right now because he's got a serious coughing fit."

Ferretclaw frowned, "That sure puts a damper on our patrol. Has Fallenstar said who your new mentor is going to be?"

"Fallenstar said that she's going to see how long it's going to take him to recover. If he isn't well by two days, then I'll be assigned a temporary mentor."

Ferretclaw shrugged. "All right then. Time to head out."

The tiny patrol padded on in the woods, leaving distinct paw prints behind in the snow. Flamepaw personally hated the silence, and he longed to sink his claws into some RiverClan flesh.

Suddenly, Pinepaw said, "Did Fallenstar lose a life at the battle with RiverClan?"

Ferretclaw seemed taken back by the question. But he slowly nodded and replied, "I suppose she wouldn't want to tell her kits if she has lost a life. But to answer your question: yes. Fallenstar has lost a life that day."

"So she lied to us." Said Flamepaw pointedly.

Ferretclaw blinked and said in a flat tone, "I would lie as well. Who would want to worry their kits like that?"

Pinepaw sighed. "At least she had a reason to lie. But I wished she was straighter with us."

Ferretclaw nodded and the trio got to the stream. Flamepaw disliked the stream. He looked across and saw a black tom with a blue-ish she-cat with a white underbelly and ragged rings around her paws and a ringed tail.

"Look, it's Swallowpaw." Said Pinepaw suddenly.

Ferretclaw observed the two cats. "I think that's Reedtail. He must have been placed as her mentor. I guess he's showing her the territory."

Pinepaw smiled and Flamepaw glanced at his brother suspiciously. He looked away then looked back at the two cat patrol. Reedtail and Swallowpaw got closer to them and Ferretclaw stood his ground, his eyes icy and uncalculating.

Reedtail narrowed his and said in a monotone voice, "Hello, Ferretclaw."

"Reedtail."

Flamepaw smirked and he nudged Pinepaw. Pinepaw stared at Flamepaw as he said, "you should say hello to her."

"What? No!"

Flamepaw rolled his eyes. "Come on, let's go say hi." Flamepaw then walked up to the pretty apprentice and he said smoothly, "Hello, you must be Swallowpaw."

The dark grey she-cat gasped and averted her gaze. "H-Hi."

"I'm Flamepaw and this is my brother Pinepaw." Flamepaw chuckled and shoved his brother forward, "Say 'hello' Pinepaw."

"H-Hello Pinepaw."

Swallowpaw blinked with her curious minty eyes then she bursted out into giggles. "Weren't you the cat that kept on staring at me?"

"He is." Answered Flamepaw for him. Pinepaw glared at his ginger brother and he turned his attention back to the RiverClan apprentice.

Pinepaw forced himself to look up at her and he stuttered, "I'm P-Pinepaw of ShadowClan."

"I'm Swallowpaw." She said sweetly, "it sure is nice to meet you."

Ferretclaw then glared down at Pinepaw, "Hey, quit being so friendly to those RiverClanners. We're to patrol, not to socialize."

Flamepaw smirked at his brother.

"I got to go." Muttered Pinepaw.

Reedtail as well, glared down at his apprentice with an even colder ferocity that obviously said, _Don't become like your backstabbing mother, Troutstream._

"I got to go too." She said. She waved a tail and bounded off into the woods with the black tom.

Ferretclaw flicked his tail and brought the apprentices back into ShadowClan territory. Pinepaw looked crazily nervous, and his tail kept on twitching.

"Something wrong, Pinepaw?" Flamepaw said smugly, "You haven't seen any pretty she-cats have you?"

"Fawnpaw told you to stop teasing me about that!" He snapped.

Flamepaw laughed then retorted, "But Fawnpaw isn't here now, is she? Do you have to have some puny medicine apprentice she-cat help you?"

"She's your sister too." Pinepaw pointed out.

"You two better stop bickering," snarled Ferretclaw glancing over his shoulder, "Otherwise you'll be seeing Snaketail's fleas until half-moon."

Flamepaw was smiling though; sickly satisfied that he has set off his calmer, much more rational brother. They entered the camp and Fawnpaw was now sitting in the medicine den, being gently scolded by her mentor for just running off into the night without a single warning.

Then Flamepaw realized that the conversation was about her running off in the middle of the night disobeying curfew.

Since when did Fawnpaw disobey a strict set of rules?

* * *

"Tonight is the gathering," called out Fallenstar, "Tawnypelt, Ivytail, Dawnpelt, Tigerheart, Crowfrost, Applefur, Olivenose and her kits, and all of the apprentices will _not_ come tonight."

Flamepaw hissed. He really wanted to show off to all of the other apprentices in the other Clans how big he's gotten. Fallenstar flashed a grin at her son and purred, "You are going to protect the camp from any badgers and foxes that could attack."

Flamepaw blinked then slowly nodded. Then Applefur and Duckkit giggled from the nursery's general area. Flamepaw growled at them and Duckkit quickly shut up. He narrowed his eyes and hissed, "Fallenstar said I have to protect the camp."

Applefur rolled her eyes, "If you say so. It's fun living in a fantasy, isn't it?" Then she grinned and helped Olivenose herd Duckkit into the nursery.

Flamepaw snorted and stuck his nose into the air, thinking that is definitely not a way to speak to the Clan leader's offspring.

So he instead clambered over the warrior den and got to circle the camp while his mother and the rest of the Clan went to the gathering.

While he was trotting, a soft burned scent masked by ShadowClan mixed with ThunderClan wafted over his nose. He felt a soft pelt brushing his. He turned to his right and saw a flat-faced grey she-cat with bright shining orange eyes.

"Who are you?" Flamepaw hissed as he stopped walking, "What are you doing on ShadowClan territory?"

"I was born and raised in ShadowClan, kit." Snorted the she-cat. Then she composed herself and said, "Your mother has trodden this path around the camp many times her life before you were even a dirty thought in her mind."

"Was she chased by you too, you mangy crow-food eating scum-bag?" His fur was on end at this point, and his frog green eyes gleamed with ferocity.

The she-cat chuckled and then without warning, attempted to slap his ear with her paw. However, the paw went right through his body like she was just vapor or even a mist. Her paw dissipated them came back a moment later. She stared down at her foot in frustration. Then she snarled at the bright ginger tom, "You have no idea how much I want to box your ears right now."

Flamepaw's eyes got wide and he stepped back fearfully. His back hit against a tree and he laid his ears back. "Oh dear StarClan, a vengeful spirit! Get away from me, you vile ghost!"

"Shut up, I gave your mother her second life. You have every reason to trust me."

Just in case, Flamepaw unsheathed his claws and he continued to snarl insistently.

The she-cat began to slowly circle around the tom, "You are a stubborn frog-brained brat." She looked up at the sky and said, "Everyone thinks so too. The tom that you were named after is disgusted with your behavior, especially since your sister follows his pawsteps."

"I am the son of Fallenstar, the greatest leader who has ever lived, and I deserve more respect." He lashed his tail and then asked, "What's your name anyway?"

"Yellowfang." She huffed reluctantly, "And by the way, just because you are the leader's son it doesn't give you any special privileges. You are a warrior just like everyone else. If you continue to be this rude and bratty, StarClan has foreseen your dark and drawn out future full of ambition and blood. Though the name of the flame has been carried on, the new fire is alive and hungry, and is willing to do anything to quench that hunger."

Suddenly, Flamepaw was surrounded by an illuminated fire. He yelped and scrabbled farther back into the tree.

"Your fire shall be the end of you. Unless you learn to tame that hunger, you and your Clan will never be safe again."

A wind swept by and it took Yellowfang and all the fire with it, sweeping it out in one large blast.

Flamepaw panted and flopped down onto the snow. He carefully licked his lips, afraid of Yellowfang's warning. If she really has come from StarClan, then she must be serious about this path he is going down.

_ The new fire is alive and hungry, and is willing to do anything to quench that hunger._


	9. StarClan is Cruel

When Pinepaw awoke, he saw his brother wide awake and shivering right next to him. Pinepaw slowly blinked and yawned. He then smirked, knowing that Flamepaw probably had a nightmare, and that the ginger cat deserved it.

Pinepaw stood behind his brother then rasped out, "Flamey is going to _die_ from the writhing talons of a crow!"

Flamepaw gasped and looked behind him, terrified. "N-Not funny, just leave me alone!"

Pinepaw grinned and stooped down low, "Something has obviously got you spooked. It wasn't that nightmare about the squirrel again, was it?"

Flamepaw flashed a glare at the pale brown tom, "No, that was still in my nursery days."

The brother smiled and calmly trotted out of the den. He stretched his limbs and he leaped on top of the boulder at the entrance of the warriors den. Pinepaw swished his tail at Dawnpelt as a greeting.

Dawnpelt snorted and said, "Good morning, Pinepaw. I suppose you want to hear about the gathering?"

Pinepaw eagerly nodded, waiting to drink in every detail.

Dawnpelt sighed and sat down while Ferretclaw shoved his way out of the den to get to training Flamepaw. The creamy she-cat licked her paw and dragged it over her ear. "One of Heathertail's kits that happened to be apprentices named Blazepaw was killed by a wandering badger."

Pinepaw dipped his head sadly, "That must be really unfortunate for her. Especially since she's handled with the stress of being deputy."

Dawnpelt went on, "Mistystar has completely forgiven Sparrowfang for his actions. However, Sparrowfang is still seeing Whitewater's back until newleaf. ThunderClan has finally said that Greystripe and Dustpelt has finally moved into the elder's den when Dustpelt fell from a tree and hindered him unable to do warrior duties. Greystripe preferred not to tell everyone though. Also, I heard a rumor that ThunderClan is starting to contract greencough."

Pinepaw nodded, "Thanks for telling me, Dawnpelt."

Dawnpelt snorted then left as Oakfur demanded to see her for a patrol with Pinenose.

The brown tom watched as the dawn patrol left. Fallenstar bounded up to her son and purred while nuzzling him, "How is my baby?" She asked.

Pinepaw felt his face flush red, but he nuzzled his mother back, "I'm great, Mom. Smokefoot is a great mentor."

Fallenstar sighed in relief. "That's good. I was wondering if I could go to your training session with him today and see how much you have improved. I don't really have any schedule today. Luckily, Oakfur has finally let me have some free time."

Grinning, Pinepaw agreed and he leaped off the rock and into the warriors den trailed by his mother. He saw the fluffy black tom nestled in the back of the den snoring. Pinepaw prodded his mentor's side and meowed, "Fallenstar wants to watch our training session."

Smokefoot was about to protest, but he stopped seeing Fallenstar loom over him. He scrambled to his paws and dipped his head. "Of course, Fallenstar. Let's eat some prey first before heading out to train."

The trio walked over to the fresh-kill pile as they all settled down to eat. As usual, Fallenstar ate a chewy toad while Pinepaw munched on a crunchy lizard. Smokefoot had his mouth buried in a thrush, his face covered in feathers.

When the cats all ate their prey, they trotted out into the pine forest.

The old trodden path was worn down by the pawprints that have stepped there all the time. While Smokefoot and Fallenstar scrambled over the log, Pinepaw crawled under it, demonstrating his lithe frame.

The cats walked into the empty hollow covered in snow. Pinepaw suddenly felt unnerved, knowing that both his Clan leader as well as his mother was watching him, expecting to find out that he has improved so much, and that her son is going to be a great warrior.

Pinepaw and Smokefoot stepped up to the center and they carefully swished their tails and a soft wind blew by without any warning. Pinepaw glanced at Fallenstar who sat down and looked on at her child.

The brown tom took a deep breath and got down low into the battle position. Smokefoot smirked then pounced toward his apprentice. Pinepaw gasped and was tossed down to the ground. Pinepaw suddenly bit Smokefoot's front leg and the tom hissed. He lightly unsheathed his claws and dug them in gently, careful to now draw blood.

Pinepaw rolled out of the way and leaped over to his back legs and wrapped his jaw around the tendons. He yanked back hard and the black tom flopped down into the snow.

He darted forward and leaped on top of his back and began to tug at his ear gently. Fallenstar was now standing up, watching her son with great interest.

Pinepaw glanced at her and then let go of Smokefoot's ear. Pinepaw got off of his mentor and began to walk over to his mother proudly. However, just then, he was shoved down into the snow and all he saw was black and white. Snow filled his mouth and his face was being shoved down by a forceful paw.

He struggled to bring his head back up, and he knew that it was Smokefoot.

"Get up, you worm!" Said a muffled voice.

Pinepaw thrusted his head out of the snow and turned around angrily, expecting to see his mentor. But it wasn't the black tom. Instead, it was a bright orange ginger tom with darker ragged tabby stripes and paws with forceful green eyes.

He was now gasping for breath and he lashed out a claw at the ginger who he now recognized as his brother. His claws made contact with his cheek and Fallenstar gasped, rushing toward her kits.

Blood swelled where claws met his skin. Flamepaw looked up and hissed as blood dripped down onto the snow.

"Why did you sneak up during my training session like that!?" Snarled Pinepaw angrily.

"It's too important," hissed Flamepaw lashing his fluffy tail, "Pinenose is seriously wounded by a stupid black and white tom at the twoleg nest."

Fallenstar's ears perked up and her eyes held a horrified gleam. Then she whispered quietly, "Who was on the patrol with her?"

"Just me, Ferretclaw, Starlingwing and Pinenose."

Fallenstar stared at Smokefoot like a terrible memory began to resurface. Fallenstar walked up to Smokefoot and asked in a heated tone, "Do you think that Jacques is getting back at us for Susan's death?"

"Possibly," started Smokefoot, "we better get there quickly though before she dies."

Fallenstar's head bobbed up and down quickly. As Smokefoot bounced into the forest, she looked back at her two children and said, "I suppose it's too late to get you two back to camp. So come with us."

Pinepaw nodded and they began to chase after their speedy mother. Blood still dripped from Flamepaw's cheek and the ginger tom didn't even glance at his brother. Pinepaw felt guilt flood his body and he skimmed farther ahead, not wanting to give in to the tiredness.

They all finally got to the twoleg nest. There, Pinepaw gasped seeing a sleek black she-cat covered in wounds and blood dripping out of her mouth.

Ferretclaw was wailing in grief for his friend and he sniffled, looking at Fallenstar. Red liquid trickled out of his mouth and his brown eyes were narrowed in sudden flaming hatred.

"Why didn't you die instead of her!?" He screeched while Starlingwing held him back, "You have lives to spare!"

"Ferretclaw, calm down." Said Starlingwing.

"I won't calm down." Said Ferretclaw faintly, "she was my denmate. I was with her ever since we were born in the nursery."

Pinepaw walked up to the dead body of the black she-cat and nuzzled her gently. He has shared the same name as her, and he was curious if he was named after her. Closer to her was the dead body was a black tom with a white belly, chest, and muzzle with scars littering his pelt and muscles rippled underneath his flesh.

Pinepaw nudged her and nearly jumped up when Starlingwing tapped his shoulder. Pinepaw turned around and looked up at his father. He sniffled and said, "W-What happened?"

Starlingwing looked over at the dead black and white tom and answered, "That is Jacques. He was a huge threat to the Clan, terrorizing everyone at the very beginning. He had an accomplice named Susan. However, one day after Susan severely wounded one of our… Clan."

Pinepaw tilted his head, wondering why he had such a hard time saying that final word.

"That cat was named Ratscar." He looked off at the nest, "He used to be loyal. However, that is another story. So the Clan held a counter-attack. In that attack, Ferretclaw accidentally killed Susan. Jacques was furious and swore vengeance on the entire Clan." Starlingwing glanced down at Pinenose's body, "He was clearly aiming for Ferretclaw, but Pinenose leaped in front of him and took the blow. You can guess what happened next."

Flamepaw and Fallenstar began to carry the she-cat's limp body and they trekked back through the forest.

Ferretclaw screamed in grief toward the back of the ground and he slashed up Jacques' body even more. Starlingwing looked back and hissed at him to stop it.

"Help me!"

Ferretclaw sprinted to the front of the group in shock at the sudden voice. Pinepaw glanced at the twoleg nest and meowed to his father, "I'm going to investigate the voice for help. Maybe that rogue had a prisoner in the twoleg nest."

Starlingwing nodded slowly and whispered, "Be careful, Pinepaw. You never know if it could be a trap."

"I'll be careful, Dad. I promise." Then Pinepaw parted from the group and sprinted to the rotten nest. He scrambled his way up to a large clear hole. He pressed his paws against the glass and lashed his tail in frustration.

"Look in the corner of the room!" Said a muffled voice.

Pinepaw narrowed his eyes and looked down at a far corner of the damp and musty twoleg nest with ancient rotting fuzzy boulders and water dripping through the ceiling.

In the darkness, he saw a shivering warrior-aged white tom with black splotches and bright yellow eyes. He happily looked up at Pinepaw and pounced over to the clear hole.

He used his claws to unlatch a piece of wood at the top of pushed up the glass. Pinepaw wriggled inside and looked around the dark and damp twoleg nest.

"Thank you so much for coming, is Jacques dead?"

Pinepaw nodded sickly, remembering his limp, cold body.

The tom suddenly burst into laughter and his tail lashed ferociously. Pinepaw took a few steps back, immediately afraid of this insane tom. The black and white cat looked at Pinepaw and said in fits of giggles, "I can never thank you enough. I am the result of an incest birth." He blinked and said sadly, "Yes, Susan and Jacques were my parents; also my aunt and uncle. Ever since I was born, I was beaten and abused. I don't know why StarClan would give me this fate."

"Wait, back up," Pinepaw blinked and suspiciously began to circle the larger tom, "You're a rogue, how do you know about StarClan?"

The tom blushed and looked away. "I don't know. I just have always known in my mind that there's a Clan of cats called StarClan. They sent me here for a reason. Anyway, my name is Swift."

Pinepaw reached out his paw and the tom touched it. "Nice to meet you, Swift, I'm Pinepaw. Would you like me to take you back to my Clan?"

Swift smiled and began to trot out of the window, "Thank you." As Pinepaw leaped out of the window, he heard Swift leap up behind him. The two cats trotted over through the woods to the ShadowClan camp.


	10. Two Dangerous Puddles

Fawnpaw sadly rubbed a large wad of lavender on Pinenose's cold black fur.

"I've seen so many deaths." Muttered Littlecloud as he cleaned off the blood. "In my kithood, I was born with death in the tyranny of Brokenstar. I doubt you know him. Anyway, he trained kits early. I was one of those kits."

Fawnpaw looked up at her mentor with tragedy glimmering in her eyes.

He went on, "You would think after seeing StarClan knows how many deaths… you'd think I'd be casual about accepting death at this point in my life." He took a thick pause and coughed out. He turned around, and Fawnpaw noticed that he has used all of the remaining catnip on Smokefoot's cough. He coughed and continued, "However, each death I see if still sad. It's not exactly heartbreaking of me to see. But it's heartbreaking to see each cat cry out like it's a physical pain."

Fawnpaw sorted through the herbs randomly and whispered, "But there's no herb to cure grief, is there?"

He shook his head and stepped away from Pinenose's body. "It's done. If you would like, you can go out into the woods and gather some catmint. We're dangerously low."

Fawnpaw smiled and set her paw on her mentor's shoulder, "I know, I promise I'll be back in a twitch of a whisker. "

He smiled warmly and shut his eyes, "You are a lot like Flametail." He said, "You know he… had a history with your mother."

Fawnpaw blinked, remembering the nursery stories and the occasional Clan rumor that even after all those moons, Fallenstar is _still _grieving over Flametail. When she gets back from tending to Snow, she'll ask Fallenstar about it.

She jogged out into the pine forest and followed the trail of raven feathers to the hollow. She sprinted at this point, memorizing the path by memory. Flurries of snow flew upwards and she breathed in the crisp nighttime air.

The she-cat trotted up to the hollow. Inside was a shivering black raven that chirped at the very sight of her. Fawnpaw smiled warmly and carefully removed the leaf wrappings on the wing, sure that it has healed fully by now.

Snow chirped and stretched out her wing. She glanced across her large black wingspan then glanced over at the brown she-cat.

Fawnpaw blinked and ducked low shyly, "Can you show me how to fly?"

The raven cawed out then hobbled over to the edge of the tree hollow. Fawnpaw watched as the bird slowly spread her beautiful jet black shining wings in the dusk's light.

Then she took off.

The raven soared high, staying in the area of the clearing. Fawnpaw stared as the circled her. She smiled and thought to herself, _I wish I can fly._

The raven fluttered back down and ruffled her wings. The bird tilted her head almost like she was asking how was her flight.

Fawnpaw grinned and carefully reached out a paw. The bird hesitantly touched her beak to the paw and fluffed out her wings.

"I'm going to moonpool tomorrow." She said happily, "I want to see you there, is that okay?"

The bird made a shrill chirp and without warning, reached out her cheek and pressed it up against Fawnpaw.

Fawnpaw was gripped with a feeling of warmth and love for the bird like a mother. Fawnpaw nuzzled the bird carefully, feeling her feathers brush against her fur. Fawnpaw knew that she was treading on dangerous grounds always being with this bird and taking care of it, but she is willing to tread those waters for Snow.

* * *

Fawnpaw huffed out a cold breath of air and looked up at her mentor. Now she was heading up to the moonpool, and she always disliked going there. The first time she went, Mothwing and Willowshine didn't even dare talk to her after what happened with Sparrowfang and Troutstream.

She carefully placed her paws into where ancient cats have repeated theirs. She looked up and saw the blind medicine cat named Jayfeather. The grey tom huffed when he scented ShadowClan.

"Hello, Jayfeather." Said Littlecloud happily, "I heard that your Clan has contracted greencough. If you'd like, I can give you some feverfew. I still owe you from the days when Fallenstar was still a wee apprentice."

Fawnpaw looked up at her mentor and asked, "You owe Jayfeather?"

He nodded and grinned knowingly, even though the grey tabby couldn't see it.

A dark grey tabby she-cat with green eyes flicked her fluffy tail and hissed, "Let's get on with this. It's freezing outside."

Mothwing sighed and looked at the moonpool, "I'm sorry for being cold to you, Fawnpaw. It was still instinctual, especially since the battle."

"It's been a whole year, Mothwing." Said Kestrel flight, "Isn't it about time we're over it?" He smiled and said calmly, "Anyway, I think I might have found a new apprentice. Even though Heathertail's daughter; Tunnelpaw, is a warrior apprentice, I think Onestar and I can make arrangements so that she is my apprentice."

Fawnpaw's eyes gleamed at the very thought of finally having an apprentice just about her age that's also a medicine cat. It gets a little boring when all the apprentices in ShadowClan are toms that mock her and say that it's a shame that she didn't become a warrior.

Especially Twigpaw, he says it's a shame especially since she's such a pretty she-cat.

She shivered at the memory. Then Twigpaw proceeded to flirt with her, and try to get her to become a warrior. Each time he begged, she grew more and more agitated. Eventually she had to tell Littlecloud about Twigpaw always harassing her. They brought it to Fallenstar, and no one ever spoke another word of it.

Jayfeather blinked and replied, "Briarlight and I are still deciding what to do about her and the moonpool situation. We were thinking perhaps we could send the leader in her place. Bramblestar can communicate with StarClan."

"But only when you die, correct?" Mothwing said quietly, "You and I both know that your death is many, many moons away."

Jayfeather nodded and didn't say another word.

"It's time to sleep next to moonpool." Said Kestrelflight sitting down next to the gleaming water trickling down a stream of a cracked boulder.

The six medicine cats all laid down together in a warm bundle and each cat took a lap of the water.

Fawnpaw licked up the cold water and she felt a chill crawl down her spine. Starlight swirled in her vision within the darkness of her sleep and the starlight formed together like a puzzle to the body of a cat. The stars gained definition and color, slowly becoming the dark ginger form of Flametail.

Fawnpaw grinned seeing Flametail. She walked up to him and meowed, "It's nice to see you again, Flametail, but will there be a time when I can meet the older medicine cats of the past or maybe even Blackstar?"

"In the future." He said calmly. He sat down and said in almost a sad tone, "How is Fallenstar? Is she fine? I know she hasn't lost her third life yet because StarClan didn't call me down there to her yet." His crystal blue eyes got wide and he lifted a paw, perking his ears forward, "Can you tell her that I miss her dearly?"

Fawnpaw nodded. She has known about Flametail's and Fallenstar's affair when she was still in the nursery. It was a forbidden love so strong, that not even Fallenstar's secure, clever lips can lock that secret up forever. "I promise I'll tell her, Flametail." Then she remembered Littlecloud's project about counting the moons. "Hey Flametail, did you know about Littlecloud's project of counting the moons?"

He shook his head and responded, "He only told you. He started it after I died and when Fallenstar first got impregnated with you and your siblings." He smiled and walked in a circle around her. Then a worried face plastered over his ginger smile, "How is Flamepaw? He's stubborn, just like his mother. I understand he was named after me, but we're total opposites."

"Still stupid." Fawnpaw sighed. "He was totally spooked a few nights ago, and I had to give him some thyme so he could go to sleep."

"That was Yellowfang's fault. She and I don't really get along. Anyway," He composed himself and sat back down as he delicately curled his fluffy tail around his paws, "I understand that your Clan is seriously low on catmint."

Fawnpaw frowned and nodded grimly. "No one is sick yet, but I'm worried that it's going to spread. Smokefoot had a slight cough, but we fixed that up within a night."

"Great sickness is coming, and you need to commit a crime to fix that." He stood up and sweeped his long tail across the ground, "Follow me." He began to trot into a glowing silver forest made of pine trees and the bark glowed pure white. A thick mist flooded the area and Fawnpaw had a hard time following the dark ginger tabby's gleaming starlit pelt.

The two cats approached a pool of water that reflected like a mirror. Flametail splashed his paw into the water and a figure appeared and the air began to scent of ThunderClan.

In the water, Fawnpaw peered in to see a small abandon twoleg nest with a garden outside. In that garden were tall stalks of catmint. The warm, aromatic scent wafted into her nostrils and she resisted the urge to drool.

"That is Jayfeather's stock of catmint." He said quietly. He hung his head and went on, "If ShadowClan is to survive the remaining leaf-bare, you must steal all of Jayfeather's catmint."

Fawnpaw looked up at him, horrified. "I'm not going to cause the death of ThunderClan! You and I both know that ThunderClan is hit with deadly greencough. Some cats are on the verge of death. ShadowClan is mostly healthy, and you expect me to steal some for the healthy Clan?"

"Birchpaw is carrying the sickness!" Growled Flametail, "Either you kill Birchpaw before he spreads it, or you steal the catmint. Your choice."

Fawnpaw gasped as she was slammed back by the moonpool. She woke up gasping, and Mothwing looked at her worriedly.

Fawnpaw swerved her head to face Jayfeather who was starting to wake up. He yawned and stretched his tired body. She bit her lip and looked away guiltily. Flametail said she either had to murder Birchpaw or all of ThunderClan.

She had to make that choice now, otherwise one of two Clans are going to suffer heavy losses from their warriors.

Littlecloud looked down at her and didn't dare to ask about her dream, knowing it was forbidden to even mention their dreams. She stood up weakly and the Clans slowly parted away onto the separate paths to their Clans.

Birchpaw or ThunderClan.


	11. She Just Needs a Brother

**Author's Note: Aren't I evil? Cute, little, innocent Fawnpaw is either going to indirectly kill all of ThunderClan or kill one of her kithood friends.**

**TOUGH DECISION HUH!?**

Flamepaw and Pinepaw together waited for their sister to return from moonpool. Birchpaw, the early riser, was sitting among them happily. Stempaw slept latest, and oddly enough, Twigpaw bounded out of the den, gasping.

"Where's Fawnpaw?" He asked looking around.

"She's still coming back from moonpool." Said Flamepaw rolling his eyes. Honestly, how did Twigpaw have the nerve to flirt with his sister like that? It was obvious the brown tom had a crush on Fallenstar's daughter.

Pinepaw didn't say anything. Birchpaw coughed briefly and his neck fur stood up. Then he stood up and gasped, "There she is!"

Flamepaw looked up toward the High Branch and saw Fawnpaw trotting with Littlecloud. Her brown eyes were tiredly glazed open like she hasn't slept for moons , despite sleeping peacefully with all the other Clans.

"Hi, Fawnpaw!" Said Twigpaw lashing his tail. Flamepaw glared at the tom then glanced back at Fawnpaw.

Fawnpaw didn't respond to Twigpaw and she nearly flopped down onto Flamepaw and she had no energy at all to hardly glance at Birchpaw. "I'm really tired, guys. Just leave me alone for a bit, okay?"

"But you had a leisurely nap at moonpool," pointed out Birchpaw, "I would die for something like that."

Fawnpaw looked horrified for a brief moment at his sentence. Then she sighed, apologized, then dragged herself to the medicine den.

Flamepaw blinked and looked at Pinepaw. Pinepaw looked at him as well, and their eyes obviously read, _something's wrong._

"I'll talk to her." Said Flamepaw.

"No, I'll talk to her." Said Twigpaw standing up with a puffed out chest, "She needs someone she could rely on. Not some sniveling brother who doesn't even support her decision as medicine cat."

Pinepaw narrowed his eyes at the dark brown tom and growled, "You're such a hypocrite. Weren't you begging her to become a warrior just several sunrises ago? You want to be her mate, don't you?"

Twigpaw grinned smugly and said slyly, "That's because I'm out of her league. She's lucky that I even want her. Who wouldn't want such a cute she-cat?"

Pinepaw rolled his eyes. "At least you didn't deny it."

Stempaw yawned and trotted out of the den tiredly. He blinked slowly and glanced at Fawnpaw who was denied a second nap by Littlecloud and instead was set to collect herbs out in the woods.

The dark brown dappled tom flicked his cream colored ear and watched her exit the Clan. "She is a cute cat."

Flamepaw swatted Stempaw over the ear. He flinched and looked at him, rubbing his ear. Flamepaw tipped his head and frowned sourly, "That's my sister you're talking about."

Stempaw blushed and laid his ears back, "Sorry, Flamepaw."

"I'll win her heart soon enough." Said Twigpaw licking his paw and slicking back his ruffled head fur, "What with me being a handsome tom and all…"

Pinepaw raised and eyebrow then walked off to eat some fresh-kill.

"Birchpaw."

The black tabby perked his ears and looked up at Fawnpaw who was staring back at him. "I need you to help collect herbs. I also need to discuss something with you."

Flamepaw turned his head a little bit and spotted Fallenstar speaking to the loner they found named Swift. He would definitely join in the conversation with the strange black and white tom, except that he's even more curious about Birchpaw and Fawnpaw.

_Discuss?_ Flamepaw looked at Birchpaw and the abnormally fat, black tabby smiled and followed her out of camp. The ginger tom grimaced and waited so that he could follow their scent. He had a sick feeling that something bad was about to happen, and he definitely hoped that Fawnpaw wasn't in a forbidden affair with him like Fallenstar was with Flametail.

He slinked down into the darkness and dragged his paws across the muddy snow to muffle his pawsteps. He followed their dappled and tabby pelts in the shadows and eventually they stopped at a patch of lavender stalks. Fawnpaw looked at the lavender and sighed.

"Lavender is used for hiding the scent of death when we sit vigil, right Birchpaw?"

"Yes!" He chirped swishing his tail, "it smells really nice too."

She paused and said quietly, "Unfortunately, these will be the flowers we use at your vigil tonight."

Flamepaw gasped and all was deathly still. He slunk down even lower and Birchpaw began to back away.

"W-What do you mean?"

Fawnpaw glanced at him sadly and then darted her eye away before he could catch the sorrow in her gaze. Flamepaw knew that look all too well. "I'm sorry, Birchpaw. It's either you or ThunderClan. I'd rather sacrifice one cat that kill off an entire Clan because of thievery. You're sick, and we don't have the herbs to heal you."

"Why don't you just take one herb?" He asked getting scared, but trying to keep calm.

"It doesn't work that way. Greencough has devastated ThunderClan, they need all the herbs they can get. Even one stalk to heal you won't keep them all alive."

Flamepaw watched, feeling helpless in this scenario. Fawnpaw sighed and ducked her head, "I'm honestly sorry. You are my friend, and I love how happy and lazy you are all the time." She smiled weakly and got down into the pounce position, "Birchpaw, I wish it wasn't this way."

"It doesn't have to be, Fawnpaw!" Birchpaw cried out, his tail fluffing out, "I don't want to die! I-I'm scared of you now!"

"Birchpaw, I'M SORRY." Then a tiny tear dripped down her cheek and she pounced over to the black tabby. Without thinking, Flamepaw yowled and leaped over to Fawnpaw in midair. He slammed against her body, and he felt a brief moment of pain. He winced and the siblings both tumbled down together in the snow. Fawnpaw stared up at her brother and began to sob.

Flamepaw turned around to see Birchpaw breathing quickly and scared, his sleek black tail now fluffed up and tucked between his legs. Flamepaw sighed and said, "Get back to ShadowClan. Don't tell anyone about this incident." Then he growled and snapped his jaws, "Otherwise I'll make sure that the next mouse you eat will be filled with deathberries."

Birchpaw nodded quickly and sprinted back toward ShadowClan. Flamepaw let up his sister and her fur was spiked nervously and her cheek was streaked with tears.

"Flametail t-told me either Birchpaw has to be killed or all of ThunderClan dies."

"Tough choice." Observed Flamepaw circling her. He stole a glance at the lavender and took a sniff of it. He looked back at her. "Even if you did attack him and get him into a position where you could end him, you wouldn't do it."

Fawnpaw was about to reply but she kept her mouth shut. She looked down at the snow and lashed her tail, "Maybe you're right."

The scent of lavender invaded his nostrils and the sweet scent made him sneeze. It smelled wonderful. He blinked and said quietly, "This is the best lavender I've ever smelled. Did you use this patch as a sign of saying sorry for him?"

She didn't reply.

"It won't make up for it."

"I know."

"Tell me what Flametail said."

Fawnpaw stepped up to him and looked around for any eavesdroppers before saying anything, "Flametail told me that I have to steal Jayfeather's herb stock to heal our Clan in the future when our own sickness blight comes. But if I decide not to, I have to kill Birchpaw before the sickness could spread any further."

Flamepaw grinned weakly at his sister and pulled her in for a hug. "Fawnpaw, you're too innocent to get your paws dirty. I know you don't like Twigpaw, but think about how he'd feel if you just killed his brother."

Fawnpaw sobbed harder and rested her head into her brother's orange chest fur. She laid back her ears and Flamepaw set his paw on her back. Tears dampened his chest and he shut his eyes.

Is this what it felt like to be a brother? Is this what it was like to care for a sister? He shushed her and wrapped his tail around her tightly, careful to not let her go.

Now he understood the bond between brother and sister. It's a feeling when you are willing to do anything for your sibling. And that's what he intended to do. He looked up at the cloudy sky and said, "Tonight, you and I will steal Jayfeather's herbs."

She sniffled and looked up at him. "Flamepaw, that's crazy. That's going to leave us responsible for all of ThunderClan dying."

"Well," he growled, "I'm not part of ThunderClan. Those pack of untrustworthy flea-bags deserve to have a few warriors stripped away from them. It would even out that… that breed-driven Clan! I swear, all they do is spurt out more and more kits than they can manage to feed."

"That's dirty language, Flamepaw." Said Fawnpaw sniffling and pushing him away lightly, "and all Clans are equal." She pawed at the ground and muttered, "That's why I tried to kill Birchpaw. We have nothing to heal what he has. So our remaining method is to kill him before he spreads it. That way, both Clans survive this oncoming epidemic."

"Put Birchpaw in containment then! Isolate that fat kitten."

Fawnpaw's fur fluffed up angrily and she began to pace around, "If we do, then someone will have to take out his moss. Then they'll catch the infection and it will spread even further. Kill or steal, Flamepaw. Either one cat dies or all of ThunderClan does."

"What if it was Pinepaw who was sick? Or Starlingwing? Would you kill them?" Snapped Flamepaw angrily, now trying to curve around the possibility of directly killing someone, "If Pinepaw had the infection, would you have lured him out here and murder him?"

Fawnpaw refused to make eye contact. She sat down in the snow and sniffed, "Fine. You make a valid point. We aren't ThunderClan, and they could stand a few deaths I suppose. However, we have to make a deal."

Flamepaw perked his ears.

"_I _won't be the one to steal the herbs. I can't do that, I just can't. You have to do it. Drag Pinepaw into it if you have to. Whatever happens, just remember, it won't be me who steals those herbs."

Flamepaw bit his lip and nodded slowly. Of course he'll steal those herbs. No problem, just a trot across the border and snatching up a few herbs, right?

Fawnpaw narrowed her eyes and growled in a dangerous tone, "However, if you don't get those herbs by tomorrow morning, then you'll be sitting at Birchpaw's vigil."

"And I'll be the one telling Fallenstar who murdered him."

Fawnpaw growled and stomped away back to the camp, "Just get those StarClan-forsaken herbs already."


	12. Unsuppressed Giggles

**Author's Note: Who figured out the thing with Swift yet? No one? At all? Well, okay…**

Pinepaw felt exhausted from training with Smokefoot. The brown apprentice was battered with bruises and cuts.

"Tomorrow morning right at sunrise we'll meet at the lakeshore near ThunderClan territory and hunt. There's still a few things I want you to learn." Said Smokefoot sliding past him and into the warrior's den.

Pinepaw was still panting for breath at this point, and he tiredly walked over to the apprentice den. Inside, Fawnpaw was taking away Birchpaw to the medicine den. He sighed.

Actually, before going to sleep, he should visit Swift and see how he's settling in.

At the moment, Swift resided in the elder's den, always being watched by Oakfur just in case the black and white tom tried anything suspicious. Pinepaw lightly shoved Oakfur and trotted into the elder's den. Swift was laying down next to Tallpoppy hearing Snaketail tell the story about how the sun disappeared.

"Swift," said Pinepaw quietly, "How are you settling in the Clan."

He sighed and replied in a low voice, "Honestly, it's too dark here."

"Well, it's called _Shadow_Clan for a reason." Said Pinepaw sourly.

"Yeah but… I long for warm rocks. I long to meet a cat with patches. I long for…" he racked his mind and said quietly, "For ThunderClan."

"ThunderClan? Why?"

"I don't know," he muttered, "But I remember loving it there. I remember wanting to be a great warrior."

Pinepaw was about to say that Swift was never in ThunderClan territory before, being locked up all his life, but Flamepaw bursted into the elder's den panting. "Pinepaw, we need to talk, now."

Pinepaw looked at Swift then walked out of the den and sat down in the snow in front of Flamepaw. He tilted his head and asked, "What's wrong?"

He looked around suspiciously and said, "Hurry, we don't have much time."

"What?"

"I said to _hurry_! You know Birchpaw's life is on the line here."

Pinepaw gulped and raced into the forest with his brother. They trotted for a long time silently until Flamepaw spun around and said in a fast urgent tone; "WehavetostealJayfeather'sherbsbeforeFawnpawkillsBirchpaw!"

"Wait, what? Flamepaw, calm down."

Flamepaw was pacing around he said suddenly, "How can I calm down when I have to steal a blind medicine cat's herb stock before Birchpaw dies by the claws of our sister! You have her crazy visions of StarClan to thank for that!"

Pinepaw tilted his head and replied calmly, "No problem, we'll steal a few stalks."

"No, that's not how it works. I asked pretty much the same thing." He turned on Pinepaw and hissed, "We have to steal _all of it._ She says that ShadowClan is going to be hit with a huge epidemic soon, and the only catmint available is at ThunderClan."

Pinepaw rolled his eyes. "I swear, at this point, it's like StarClan is playing some sick game of cat and mouse with us."

"I know, right? Now look, the sun's already setting and we have to get across the border and we have to hurry."

"I still don't understand why we can't just heal one cat and get it over with…" grumbled Pinepaw and the brothers proceeded to walk across the scent line. Flamepaw scrunched up his nose and Pinepaw glanced around, not familiar with this type of terrain.

The stench of ThunderClan hit him and it almost sent him toppling over. He struggled to continue walking along the dirt and snow. He noticed he didn't like how hard ground felt, it was like each step was made of concrete.

Pinepaw heard a wail of pain, and he ducked down into a grove of brambles at the top of a stone hollow. He peered down the hollow with a giant tree in it. In the center of the hollow, was a grey tom with a darker stripe running down his back. A grey tabby shut the dead tom's eyes and hung his head for the tom.

Flamepaw blinked and looked away. The two brothers quickly fled from the sad scene that silently sang the song of misery and emotional pain.

"I think I smell catmint." Whispered Flamepaw. He perked up his ears and stared at a tall garden of sweet-smelling tall stalks of plants. He and Pinepaw trotted up to the garden. "This has to be it." He looked at Pinepaw and said, "You stay guard while I harvest the catmint. For StarClan's sake, I won't take _all _of it."

"Yeah, because under that thick ginger pelt of yours, there's a kind tom with an actual heart." Hissed Pinepaw sitting down in the snow. He shivered in the cold and kept watch, making sure no cat got too close. He heard Flamepaw rustling the plants and taking them into his jaws.

Flamepaw nudged his brother and looked at the catmint. Pinepaw nodded and walked over to the plants and took several into his jaws. He inhaled the sweet scent and then the two brothers looked at each other, nodding.

Pinepaw perked his ears when he heard a voice out in the distance, ringing toward their direction, "Hurry up, Leafpool, we need to gather the catmint before Fawnpaw takes it all."

Pinepaw gasped and without warning, darted off into the direction of ShadowClan and Flamepaw trailed after. Through the herbs, they panted and Pinepaw looked back, seeing a brown tabby she-cat sniff the air and stand back in horror. Then she pawed at the remaining few stalks of catmint and she looked sadly at the grey tabby tom.

Pinepaw wanted to apologize, but he knew it wouldn't ever make up for the remaining deaths.

They sped across the border without a second thought, and they went back to trotting. The sky was now starting to light up with tiny dots of stars.

The brothers leaped into the medicine den and they looked around warily, seeing Littlecloud was sleeping in the back of the den. Fawnpaw was organizing a pile of black and red wilted flowers. She looked a little disappointed, as she poked a claw at the wilted flowers. She turned her head to Flamepaw and Pinepaw and stood up. "You got them!"

Flamepaw spat out the herbs and nodded, "You're welcome."

Pinepaw set down the catmint gently and he flicked his ear. His gaze remained calculating and cold. He decided not to say anything.

"Was that all of it?"

Flamepaw lashed his tail and hissed, "Does it matter? Either way, we got a lot of catmint, so we'll survive the remainder of leaf-bare."

Pinepaw laid back his ears and trotted out of the den. A moment later, Flamepaw darted out and he walked over to the apprentice den, not waiting for Pinepaw. Suddenly, Pinepaw felt like he was being watched. He looked over to the shadows of the bushes near the tree under High Branch.

He narrowed his eyes and saw that in the bushes, were two sets of faintly glowing minty colored eyes. He sniffed the air and it was tinged with a trace of RiverClan.

Pinepaw glared and sprinted across the clearing. He dived into a bush and felt something large and soft underneath him. He huffed and felt the thing he landed on. He looked down and gasped, seeing it was a brown tabby she-cat with a cream chest and muzzle. Pinepaw blinked and got off of her. He gulped, realizing it was Fallenstar.

"M-Mom, I'm s-sorr-"

"Hush! I'm trying to listen to Sparrowfang and Swallowpaw."

Pinepaw flicked his ear and nestled down into the bush beside his mother. He laid back his ears and peered at the two figures. When his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw a pale brown tabby tom with minty colored eyes and an even paler chest. Standing in front of him, was a very dark grey she-cat that looked almost blue. Her eyes were the exact some color as her father's, and her paws were ringed with white along with her tail.

Fallenstar narrowed her eyes and pulled Pinepaw even closer. Sparrowfang nuzzled Swallowpaw and meowed quietly, "Swallowpaw, how is your mother?"

Swallowpaw frowned, "Troutstream has spiraled down into a pit of depression. She doesn't want to admit it, but I know that she still misses you. Now she spends all of her time cooped up in the nursery." She raised her head and sighed, "She has very high expectations of me. She pampers and smothers me all the time, fretting that I won't be good enough for her Clan."

Pinepaw lashed his tail sadly, he didn't know that she was set to see perfection.

Swallowpaw blinked and went on, "All RiverClan does is force me into a light where I have to shine perfectly." She gritted her teeth and dug her claws into the ground, "Troutstream says she wants me to be so perfect, that I'll have to become leader some day."

Sparrowfang sighed and pulled Swallowpaw close to his body, "I don't care if you're perfect or not. Just remember I'll always be watching from a distance. Just be a loyal RiverClan warrior, and take care of Troutstream."

Swallowpaw coughed out a sob and choked, "I promise, Daddy."

Pinepaw held back tears buried inside of his eyes. He looked at Fallenstar who was now flinching with sympathy. Fallenstar looked down at her son and whispered, "Escort Swallowpaw back to the border." Then she stood up and revealed herself to the father and daughter. Sparrowfang gasped and pulled the blue she-cat tight to his chest.

He narrowed his blue-green eyes and hissed, "Execute me. I don't care, it's not against the warrior code to see your daughter, is it?"

Fallenstar smiled and said quietly to him, "It's alright. I'll let you and your daughter have all the time you want together." She hung her head and went on, "we'll discuss the future plans of your punishment once my son has escorted Swallowpaw to the RiverClan border."

Sparrowfang breathed out a sigh of relief and wrapped his pale tail around his kit's back. After a long moment, he finally let go and licked Swallowpaw's forehead. He beamed weakly and leaped into the leader's den for the discussion. Fallenstar looked down at Pinepaw and nodded.

"You may escort her now. Whatever you do, make sure she gets back to the stream safely."

"I promise." Pinepaw said calmly. He looked at Swallowpaw and nearly reeled back. Her eyes were shining with tears and her tail was lashing. Her blue-ish colored fur whipped in the breeze. She stepped forward to Pinepaw and grinned. Pinepaw smiled back and began to guide her through the forest. He looked back to see Fallenstar walking into her den.

Pinepaw gently wiped his tail across Swallowpaw's cheek, taking off a tear. He grinned at her. "I hope we can be friends."

She stared at him for a long time before suddenly bursting out into giggles. Pinepaw blushed and stopped walking. He tipped his head and she laughed even harder.

"W-What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"

She shook her head and meowed, "No, I don't why, but whenever I look at you, I just feel like laughing. You just… have a face that makes me smile."

Pinepaw blushed even harder and looked away. "Should I take that offensively?"

"Not at all." She sniffled and began to walk once more, "It's good that you can make people smile."

Pinepaw didn't reply. Was it really a good thing? Did he happen to have a horribly laugh-inducing face? Is that why whenever he sees her Swallowpaw would giggle? He walked on in the darkness of the night and the blue and brown cats walked together silently. He looked at her minty eyes and she caught him looking at her. She smiled and the tom swerved his head away, hiding a face made of lava.

He heard her giggle a little bit and he stole a glance at her. She no longer looked on the verge of tears, but now she wore a bright smile on her face. Her tail was pointed high in the air with a slight bend to it.

The two cats eventually reached the stream. She dipped her paw in the water and immediately retracted it. "I hate water so much. Reedtail says I'm just a drypaw, and I'll get used to it."

Pinepaw looked down into the slowly running stream with chunks of large ice beginning to melt.

Swallowpaw looked at Pinepaw and said suddenly, "Do you want to meet at the half-bridge when it's new moon? If we meet, we can get to know each other better."

Pinepaw was glad that the shadows hid his face, he thanked the tiny claw-scratch of a moon and he smiled. He nodded and responded, "of course I'll meet you at the half-bridge. It's the one with all of those tiny twoleg nests and no grass, right?"

She nodded and lightly set her paw on his shoulder. "Great. See you when the moon disappears then. So just a few days!" Then she sprinted off to the thinned out oak trees. Pinepaw smiled and turned around to head back to the Clan where he can nestle down with his brother.


	13. Puppeteers All Around You

**Author's Note: For this chapter, I drew a lovely scene to go along with it on devientart! My profile is Fireworksdraws. The title is a spoiler, so I'll say what it's called at the end. (Seriously, check it out it looks **_**really**_** nice!)**

**And you and I both know that it was Greystripe who was lying dead in the camp, right? Well, if you want to see the full scene of his death, go read the first chapter in my 'Book of Challenges'. :) **

Fawnpaw watched as Birchpaw hacked and coughed in his nest. He slowly swallowed a stalk of catnip and moaned.

Fawnpaw bit her lip and whispered, "I'm sorry for almost killing you."

Birchpaw grinned and purred, "It's alright. I understand you were only doing it because you didn't want anyone to die."

She wrapped her tail around her paws and sighed. "Maybe StarClan is corrupting me, maybe I misinterpreted the whole thing." She laid back her ears and went on, "I should have told Littlecloud when I had the chance."

"I said it's okay, Fawnpaw." Birchpaw said in effort to calm her. He looked out of the den, seeing the bright blue sky and Fallenstar climbing up to the High Branch.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather here beneath the High Branch for a Clan meeting!"

Fawnpaw looked at Birchpaw as she stood up, "You should stay in the den. Littlecloud will get back from collecting feverfew soon." Then she jogged out of the den and sat down next to Flamepaw. She leaned over and whispered, "you did a good job getting the catmint."

Flamepaw nodded and said quietly, "Yeah, but we were almost caught. Jayfeather came running to the garden and was shouting at a cat named Leafpool." He looked at her, "It was like he knew we were coming."

Fawnpaw sighed and grinned halfheartedly, "That doesn't matter now. What _does _matter is that we're safe, and I have StarClan to thank for foreshadowing what is to come."

"Cats of ShadowClan, I have spoken with Sparrowfang last night, and I have decided to end his punishment early."

Murmurs of protest erupted through the Clan. Flamepaw looked at Fawnpaw and they both stared in shock.

"But he mated with a cat from another Clan!"

"That cat is a scoundrel to all of us who live here!"

"He should be exiled for his crimes…"

"ENOUGH." The cats looked back up at Fallenstar, whose fur was now standing on end. She huffed in frustration and said collectively, "Anyone who questions me, will answer to Oakfur."

Oakfur blinked and swept his gaze across the Clan.

"Secondly, our guest we found at the twoleg nest has decided to leave." She held up her tail before anyone could say anything, "Swift has said that he wants to live in ThunderClan. We have arranged that if Bramblestar doesn't accept him, he can come back to us if he is willing to. Stoatleap and I will take him to the ThunderClan camp. That is all."

Fallenstar climbed her way back down the tree and Swift began to follow the brown and pale ginger tabby tom and the brown tabby leader. Swift looked back toward the apprentice den, but then his smile faded, seeing Pinepaw wasn't there. He leapt into the forest, disappearing.

Fawnpaw breathed out a sigh of relief and started to trot out into the medicine den to see what Littlecloud would want her to do.

She gasped, feeling a drop of water splash down onto her back. She turned around and looked up at the sky, seeing droplets hail down onto the Clan. She blinked and reached a paw, then retracted it as soon as a drop of water splashed onto it.

"Fawnpaw,"

She perked up her ears and walked over to Littlecloud. He was staring down at the stalks of catmint. Fawnpaw gasped as he pawed the sweet plants. She bit her lip as he said quietly, "How come these stalks of catmint smell like ThunderClan…?"

Fawnpaw glanced at Birchpaw and he averted his dark blue almost violet gaze. She looked back at Littlecloud and dipped her head, "I'm sorry, Littlecloud. StarClan told me to steal the herbs."

"I don't want to hear an excuse. I just don't know why you'd want to steal them when we clearly don't need them."

She blinked and looked up at him before saying, "Flametail came to be in a dream and said that a huge bought of sickness is coming soon."

"But it was only Smokefoot and Birchpaw," he said quizzically, "It's not even greencough. It's only a simple whitecough that can be healed with a flick of a paw."

Fawnpaw looked down at her paws and muttered, "Would StarClan lie to me like that?"

"Maybe you need some rest. You've been going out into the woods a lot." Littlecloud gently rubbed his apprentice's head, "I'll take this catmint back to Jayfeather in the morning."

Fawnpaw laid back her ears and averted her gaze. She can't be lying; it can't be Flametail who was lying.

Then again, his voice rang in her ears. Perhaps that wasn't his voice at all, and his personality seemed twisted. She paced around the den and then agreed to sleep for a little bit. She nestled down into her nest and shut her eyes, willing herself to sleep.

The darkness danced in her eyelids, and it slowly formed into a grove of trees on a moonlight night, the birch bark gleaming in the light.

A butterfly that fluttered by caught her eye and she smirked. She got down into a pouncing position and leaped at the butterfly. She slapped her paws down onto the creature and before she could injure it, she let it go and watched it fly off into the darkness.

She smiled, loving these kinds of dreams. The landscapes swathed in moonlight and glowing butterflies were the best. She perked her ears hearing soft footsteps behind her. She turned her head to see a dark ginger tabby tom with a pale chest and sweet, calm blue eyes.

Fawnpaw stared at the tom and sat down. "Hi, Flametail."

Flametail didn't respond, he simply smirked and approached her. She took a step back and lashed her tail. Then he meowed smoothly in a voice she didn't recognize, "Hello, Fawnpaw."

She narrowed her brown eyes and fluffed up her fur and arched her back, unsheathing claws. "You can't be Flametail. Flametail would never make me choose to kill off a Clan or kill my kithood friend."

"That's because I'm not Flametail."

She growled and took another step back. She nearly jumped up with shock when the tom's body was now streaking down with sparks of blue electricity. It peeled away the ginger fur and revealed grey-ish brown fur with streaks of stone grey. He reopened his eyes to show off dazzling, narrowed sun yellow eyes and his mouth curved into a sinister smirk.

"I am Hawkheart, previously WindClan's medicine cat." He lashed his tail and began to circle Fawnpaw. He breathed a happy sounding breath and said calmly, "It feels so good to shed that ginger tom's skin. It was terrible pretending to be sappy over Fallenstar. Seriously, who could get romantic with that prickly excuse for a Clan leader?"

Fawnpaw growled and glared hatefully at this tom. "If you're from WindClan, what do you want with me?"

He chuckled and replied, "You were the most vulnerable cat, and considering that you'd do anything for your mother's former lover and the cat you follow your tiny pawsteps in. Anyway," he sat down and licked his paw carefully and stroked it over his forehead, "I just wanted you to know that little epidemic with ShadowClan that was going to come? Yeah, I lied about that so you'd cooperate."

"What do you have against ThunderClan?" Fawnpaw snarled.

He smiled and stroked his tail across her chin. She resisted puking and she felt his breath down her neck, "let's just say that it's something about a set of siblings named Moonflower and Goosefeather. It's a little more of a secret that I'd prefer not to tell you."

Fawnpaw hissed and attempted to leap at him, except he neatly sidestepped, resulting in her flopping down onto the ground. She turned and snarled in hatred at him. "How dare you take control of my emotions like that… how did StarClan even accept you? Shouldn't you be in the Dark Forest?"

"Oh, I had enough good things in my life to make up for the crimes and secret cruelties I have hidden from the eyes of the stars." He yawned boredly and began to walk away. He smiled and said calmly, "Also, the catmint will wilt by sunrise."

Fawnpaw stood up and lashed her tail. "If you aren't Flametail and you were simply posing as him, where's the real Flametail?"

"The _real_ Flametail is slowly rotting in what's left of the Dark Forest."

* * *

Fawnpaw bolted awake gasping. She looked at Littlecloud and immediately began to shake him awake. "Littlecloud, the cat in my dream wasn't Flametail!"

He groaned and stood up, staring tiredly at his apprentice. He slowly blinded, seeming like he would be hardly even able to comprehend the importance about what Fawnpaw is going to say.

"Okay, so a crazy cat that should be in the Dark Forest named Hawkheart posed as Flametail and as soon as the sun rises, the catmint is going to wilt!"

Littlecloud glanced at the many stalks of catmint and yawned. "It was just a crazy dream, Fawnpaw. Get more sleep, okay?"

Fawnpaw growled and responded, "Okay, fine, don't believe me. I'll take the catmint back to ThunderClan myself."

The brown dappled she-cat darted over to the corner of the medicine den and took as many stalks as she could in her mouth. However, there were just too many to take by herself. She set them back down and hissed at Birchpaw.

"Birchpaw, get your lazy butt over here and help me carry catmint back over to ThunderClan!"

Birchpaw opened his eyes and yawned. He grinned weakly and purred, "S-Sure thing…" Then he flopped back down going to sleep.

Fawnpaw huffed out and sprinted to the apprentice den. She clambered over Stempaw but stepped on Twigpaw's tail. Twigpaw yelped then looked up to see Fawnpaw. She gasped and watched as he smiled suggestively and meowed, "Come to snuggle with us in the apprentice den, Fawnpaw? Is it just too lonely always sitting in the medicine den with a dying elder?"

Fawnpaw breathed out and kicked his face with her back paw. She heard a yelp of pain as she walked over to Flamepaw. She poked his side and he hissed, "Get away, Fawnpaw. I had this great dream about a babbling brook…"

"Be quiet and take all of this catmint back to ThunderClan."

He stood up and narrowed his green eyes at her. "Seriously, Fawnpaw? You expect me to drag all of that catmint back to ThunderClan after I have lugged it here to your medicine den so that Birchpaw won't die? No, I'm not doing that again."

She swatted his ear and he hissed. Fawnpaw glared at her brother as he heaved himself up. He stretched his limbs and gasped in surprise as Twigpaw stood up, "I'll help you, Fawnpaw!"

"Shut up, Twigpaw. Don't make me claw your eyes out."

Twigpaw sunk back down into his nest and shut his eyes.

She swerved her head back to Flamepaw and said, "I'll explain on the way there."

* * *

As they sprinted through the trees, Flamepaw panted and eventually stopped running. Fawnpaw was now at the edge of the ThunderClan camp.

Fawnpaw sunk down low and guided Flamepaw down the steep slope and she sniffed around for the medicine den. The scent of herbs hit her mouth and she flicked her tail and walked to a large crack in the walls. She squeezed her body inside, feeling the ferns brush against her pelt.

"Jayfeather?" She whispered loudly?

"Jayfeather is at the moonpool."

She looked deeper into the darkness to see a dark brown she-cat with pale yellow eyes and a large darker patch on her back and paws. Her hind legs hung limply, unable to move. Her cheeks were soaked with tears.

Fawnpaw stepped up to the she-cat and set down the herbs in front of her while avoiding the bodies of sick, dying cats in nests.

The she-cat set her paws on the herbs.

Flamepaw walked up to her and asked, "Why is Jayfeather at moonpool?"

"He seeks guidance from StarClan during these dark times."

Fawnpaw looked at all the sick cats and meowed, "Okay, great. So here's something important, these herbs are going to wilt by sunrise. We need to give them to the sick cats right now before the morning."

The brown cat nodded and literally dragged herself out of the nest, her back legs unmoving and still. This cat must be Briarlight who had her spine broken, paralyzing her. She took a plume of catmint and woke up a golden tom. He slowly opened his bright amber eyes and he smiled weakly.

"Lionblaze, you have to eat this catmint."

He took a raggedy breath and murmured, "Give it to Cinderheart."

"No, listen, we have a whole bunch of catmint now. Just eat it, okay?"

The golden tom blinked his sore bloodshot eyes and he coughed. He weakly took the herbs in his mouth and slowly chewed them. He swallowed and laid back down, closing his eyes.

Fawnpaw picked up some catmint as well and walked over to a dark grey tabby she-cat with another smaller grey tabby laying next to her; presumably her daughter.

Fawnpaw set down the herbs in front of both tabbies, and they each took a mouthful. Even Flamepaw helped, giving catmint to each dying and coughing cat.

However, when Fawnpaw set down an herb next to a sandy colored she-cat with faint stripes, she was cold as stone and lifeless. She gasped and gently pushed the herbs closer to her nose.

Briarlight set her front paw on the herbs and meowed to Fawnpaw, "I'm sorry, but it seems as though Sandstorm didn't make it through the night."

Fawnpaw shut her eyes and blamed herself for this she-cat's death.

"First one of Bramblestar's lives, then Greystripe, then our former leader's mate?" She sadly looked at Fawnpaw then continued, "We've done all we could for each of these cats. You and your brother can go back to ShadowClan."

The siblings dipped their heads and exited the camp. They scrambled up the rocky slope and followed their old scent trail back to the camp.

Then an obnoxious voice whispered in her ear, feeling his breath down her neck once more; _"How does it feel to be a puppet for a cat supposed to be in the Dark Forest?"_

And that tom was right, all Fawnpaw was and ever will be… is a puppet.

**Author's Note: I'm horrible. Anyway, the title of the artwork is, 'Hawkhearts Confrontation'. No apostrophe. My computer was being stubborn and wouldn't save it if it had an apostrophe for some reason.**


	14. I Just Need a Body

Flamepaw looked at his ragged and tired brother who walked into the den. Flamepaw narrowed his eyes and asked, "Where were you? You just disappeared last night."

"So did you."

Flamepaw rolled his eyes and asked smugly, "Did you meet Swallowpaw?"

Pinepaw stuck his nose in the air and meowed, "Maybe."

The ginger brother laughed and smirked. "It will end tragically, I promise."

"No it won't."

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, join here beneath the High Branch for a Clan meeting!"  
Flamepaw looked outside, seeing Duckkit and Plumkit scrambling out of the nursery excitedly with Olivenose following after. Fallenstar stood at the High Branch, beautiful and proud.

Flamepaw sat down next to Stempaw and Tigerheart, smiling at the two kits.

"In speaking of apprentices, ShadowClan will thrive and remain strong. Plumkit, Duckkit, please step forward."

Plumkit, the quieter and obviously smarter of the two sisters, stepped up much more calmly than Duckkit who nearly slammed her face into the melting snow and grass.

Fallenstar smiled warmly at the kits and scanned the crowd. "Until the day you become a warrior, Duckkit shall be known as Duckpaw." Her gaze landed on a dark brown tom with black streaks in his fur. "Toadfoot, you will be a mentor to Duckkit. You will teach her all you know about being a brave and loyal warrior."

Toadfoot dipped his head and stepped forward to touch noses with his newfound apprentice.

Fallenstar flicked her tail then dangerously landed her gaze on Toadfoot's former mate. "Until the day Plumkit receives her warrior name, she will be known as Plumpaw. Ivytail, I expect you to teach Plumpaw the ways of the warrior code and your skill in hunting."

Ivytail narrowed her eyes and glanced at Plumkit as they both touched noses.

"Oakfur, organize the next patrols. Clan dismissed." Then she walked off of the roots and stood next to Oakfur as he set up the next patrols.

"Toadfoot and Ivytail can take their new apprentices out to scan the territory. Kinkfur, Scorchfur, and Mistfall can go for the sunhigh patrol. Pinepaw, Crowfrost, Smokefoot, and I will go out for the dusk patrol. Stoatleap will decide who to take for the moonlight patrol."

Toadfoot and Ivytail snarled at each other momentarily before taking their apprentices out for the patrol.

Flamepaw blinked and looked at Stoatleap who was speaking to Dewdrop. He walked up to the pale ginger and brown tom and mewed, "Why don't Toadfoot and Ivytail get along?"

Stoatleap looked at them as they finally disappeared into the darkness and he said, "When Fallenstar was my mentor, she told me that all of their kits were stillborn and Toadfoot blamed Ivytail for their deaths. Then they weren't mates anymore." He shrugged, "She didn't even bother to name the kits."

Flamepaw sighed, admitting that it did sound sad. He walked away from the two conversing cats and he lay down next to the large rock. He shut his eyes for a moment then gasped as he felt a drop of cold water land onto his nose. He stood up and scrambled to the top of the rock. It was finally starting to rain and Leaf-bare is finally ending!

Dawnpelt looked up at the sky and growled, "This wretched rain is just terrible. What if we all catch a cold because of this?"

Flamepaw glanced at the sky and replied, "It's just rain."

"'Just rain' my tail." She snorted, "I'm going hunting."

With that, Dawnpelt left the camp by herself.

Pinepaw walked up to his brother and looked at where she left. "Do you think she'll be okay by herself?"

Flamepaw rolled his eyes, "She'll be fine. Let's go check up on Fawnpaw."

Pinepaw nodded and the two brothers walked over to the medicine den to see only Littlecloud tending to Birchpaw. Flamepaw trotted up to the brown tabby and mewed, "Where's Fawnpaw?"

He turned to look around the den and meowed, "She went out to the woods. She's been doing that a lot lately."

Flamepaw groaned and flopped down dramatically, "I'm so bored!"

Pinepaw glanced down at his dramatic brother and meowed, "If you're really that bored, we can go and hunt together for a bit."

Littlecloud smiled and nodded. "That sounds like a great idea, Pinepaw."

Flamepaw looked at his brother and sighed while getting up. He peeked outside and saw that rain was now pouring madly. "That doesn't sound like a good idea to me."

Pinepaw ducked his head and nudged his head outside almost forcibly, "Come on, you know you want to hunt."

Flamepaw groaned and finally stepped outside. Pinepaw followed and the siblings walked into the pine forest together.

While walking, Flamepaw growled, "What's your reason for dragging me out here into the rain?"

"Fawnpaw needs to be found. I know she's been hiding something from me." He faced his brother and went on, "We all know that we each disappeared that night. Fawnpaw still leaves in the middle of the night smelling like…" he scrunched his nose, "She smells like a _raven_. Every night."

Flamepaw raised his eyebrow and replied, "That is a little suspicious. Alright, fine, let's look for her in this stupid rain."

They stopped for a moment so that Pinepaw could sniff the air to catch her scent. After a furious moment, he lowered his muzzle and said suddenly, "I got her trail! Follow me."

Then Pinepaw darted off into the darkness. Flamepaw gasped and followed him into the pine-scented shadows. Panting and running in the rain, Flamepaw struggled to keep up with his much speedier brother. He suddenly halted and crawled into a holly bush with wilting flowers. He flicked his ear as Flamepaw trotted into the soaking wet bush.

Flamepaw peered out of the leaves of the bush to see Fawnpaw sticking her paws into the hollow of a tree. The area reeked of Fawnpaw's herbal scent mixed with a raven meant to be hunted.

Finally, Fawnpaw backed up from the tree and meowed quietly, "It's alright, Snow. It's just rain."

"Is she talking to herself?" Muttered Flamepaw getting even lower.

"Shut up!" Growled Pinepaw.

But Fawnpaw heard her brothers' voices, and she swerved around, looking around the clearing like a monster was hunting her down. She perked her ears and called out, "Hello?"

Pinepaw shoved Flamepaw's face into the ground and Flamepaw didn't dare hiss.

Finally, Fawnpaw sighed and glanced back at the hollow, "Flamepaw, Pinepaw, you two can come out. I know it's you two."

Pinepaw exchanged a look with his brother and then nodded. He stood up and came out of the bush with Flamepaw.

Fawnpaw stared at them awkwardly. She stood defensively in front of the hollow and meowed quietly, "You two better get back to camp before I claw off your ears."

Flamepaw chuckled and took a brave step forward, "I know a cat as cute and innocent as you wouldn't ever do that."

Fawnpaw huffed and fluffed out her soaked fur, "Go away. You didn't see anything."

Pinepaw sighed and meowed, "We should go back, Flamepaw."

"Or else what? Fawnpaw is going to attack us with no warrior training at all whatsoever?"

"No, because she has a secret she doesn't want us to know about, and I think we should respect that."

Flamepaw blinked and stared at Fawnpaw, who was obviously scared, the scent of fear and anxiety wafting off of her pelt. She was obviously terrified, and she didn't want her siblings to know what she was hiding. Flamepaw suddenly dipped his head in respect and backed away from his scared sister.

"Before you guys go… I need Flamepaw for a bit. Just a little 'chat' about those herbs…"

"What about me?" Asked Pinepaw, "Didn't I help in that heist?"

Fawnpaw nodded then tilted her head, "But this is between me and Flamepaw. It'd be better to stop dragging you into this mess I've caused."

Pinepaw blinked and replied, "I understand. Thanks, Fawnpaw." Then he turned around and bounded back to the camp.

Fawnpaw turned to her brother and narrowed her eyes, "We need to go somewhere no one will hear us." She glanced back at the hollow then guided Flamepaw out of the clearing. The ginger tom suspiciously glanced at his sister as they walked on in the rain. Eventually, they got cover underneath an oak tree at the edge of the border, mostly blocking out all of the rain.

They both sat themselves down and Fawnpaw stared at her brother's green eyes. Finally, she sighed and said, "I told you about Hawkheart, right?"

"Yeah, you told me on the way to ThunderClan. He seems like a real… _Hawk_ heart."

"No time for puns, Flamepaw." Hissed Fawnpaw. She composed herself and went on, "I haven't told you that Hawkheart has trapped Flametail in the Dark Forest. I intend to bring you with me and save him."

Flamepaw's eyes opened wide and he began to back away, "I understand, and I do know that isn't just a pile of crazy. But I do know that's risky. Haven't you heard the stories about the Dark Forest as kits?"

"Yeah, that's when you had the nightmare about that squirrel eating your beautiful ear and you'd end up like Fallenstar who only has one ear left. Oh, did I mention that squirrel was a, 'terrifying flesh-eating rodent of the Dark Forest'?"

Flamepaw stepped on her tail and she squeaked. Flamepaw rolled his eyes and thought about the situation with Flametail for a moment. He is the cat that guides her in StarClan, so it'd be flat-out rude and horrible of a brother to say that he isn't going to help her. He gets why she chose him, especially since he was the cat that intruded on most of her plans to kill Birchpaw or delivered the most herbs back and forth.

He stood up and shook his pelt, "I'll help you. We'll go to moonpool tonight right?"

"Yes, I'm going to moonpool with the other medicine cats tonight, so you'll have to sneak in along with us. I'll stay awake while the other medicines cats go to sleep. Once they're all asleep, I'll stand up and flick my tail as a signal that it's time for you to join us all."

Flamepaw sat back down and tilted his head, "That's a little risky, Fawnpaw. Are you sure about this?"

"I can't save him on my own. You and I both know that not all of the Dark Forest cats died in the battle. Fallenstar said so herself."

He blinked then set his paw gently on his sister's. He smiled warmly and meowed, "It's fine, I'll protect you no matter what."

* * *

Flamepaw watched from the apprentice den as Fawnpaw exit the medicine den with Littlecloud, announcing that they were heading off to the moonpool. Flamepaw turned around and spotted Ferretclaw eating a soaked mouse.

Without anyone noticing, Flamepaw circled around the camp and came up behind the tree for Clan meetings. Since the rain has let up, it'd be a lot easier to follow their herbal scents.

The ginger tabby sniffed the damp air and stalked Fawnpaw and her mentor. They crossed the ThunderClan border, and Flamepaw was much more hesitant to follow. He stood a tree-length away and watched as Bramblestar and Jayfeather joined Littlecloud and Fawnpaw.

Bramblestar explained him taking Briarlight's place instead of her going, especially since she can't move. Flamepaw remembered her limp legs, and it paralyzed his mind. What would Flamepaw do if he ended up like that? Would he have to join the medicine den with his sister and her mentor? Even worse, when Littlecloud died, would he be his sister's apprentice?

He shook the horrifying thought out of his mind. He's not going to have a stupid tree snap his back anytime soon.

Flamepaw followed them and gasped when he scented fish directly behind him. He struggled to think and process his thoughts for a brief moment, so he darted over to a bramble bush and watched as Mothwing and Willowshine calmly walked past him and ran up to join the other medicine cats.

He took a deep breath and pushed onward. Eventually, a pale brown she-cat with bright blue eyes with a tint of violet joined them all. She was followed by a speckled brown tom.

"This is Tunnelpaw, everyone." Introduced the speckled tom, "She's going to be my apprentice from now on."

He watched as Fawnpaw jumped with joy and raced up to Tunnelpaw. The cats immediately began to converse with one another. Flamepaw felt a little bit jealous that she's found a cat she can relate to. Then he noticed that the Clan was mostly full of toms reminiscing about how tragic that such a pretty she-cat like her chose to be a medicine cat.

That reminded him; Flamepaw is going to have to teach Twigpaw a lesson for consistently flirting with his sister and making suggestive remarks. Besides, two new she-cat apprentices has joined the ranks; Duckpaw and Plumpaw.

Flamepaw shook his head and walked up along the rocky path with etched pawprints in the soil and stone, saying that cats have been stepping up these rocks for a very long time.

He watched as the medicine cats finally herded around the moonpool and chant a few words before laying down and drinking a few drops of the crystal clear water.

On a rock, the water trickled down, ice cold and seeming to glow with starlight.

Flamepaw watched for a long time as the cats began to snore, everyone but Fawnpaw's pelt was perfectly synched. After a long time of waiting, Fawnpaw finally stood up and lashed her tail. She turned around, expecting to see her brother.

Flamepaw nodded and leaped out of the bracken. He grinned and laid down next to his sister.

The siblings twined their tails together, as if it would help them stay together in StarClan.

Darkness enveloped him, and it unsettled him. A chill stroke down his spine like cold lightning, and he drifted away. He slowly opened his eyes to a landscape covered in a mist, not able to see anything, really.

"Flamepaw!"

He spun around in the mist to see Fawnpaw pounce right toward him. He smiled at his sister. "We did it. Now all we have to do is find the Dark Forest." He looked around the mist and meowed, "But that seems impossible because of this mouse-brained fog."

Fawnpaw tilted her head quizzically and inquired, "What fog? It's clear as day to me."

Flamepaw gasped and stood back, "Seriously? It's bright as day to you?"

She nodded. "Maybe to medicine cats, StarClan is clear and free of fog. But to cats that aren't that familiar with it, are shrouded to see it in fog: unclear and questioning." She smirked, "So do you question StarClan?"

Flamepaw blushed and laid his ears back, "Why not? There's so many things they could have prevented. Such as Hawkheart-"

"We have to hurry." She cut off, "If we don't find the Dark Forest by sunrise and see you with me, they'll assume the worst. You know what they say; assuming make a mouse out of you and me, and the medicine cats are experts at that."

Flamepaw huffed, "Stay close to me, I seriously can't see a thing."

Fawnpaw nodded and walked ahead, keeping her tail on her brother's shoulder. They walked for a long time in the dog only Flamepaw could see. He was curious what his sister saw. Does she see a beautiful land filled with endless prey and glowing birch trees? Does she see a paradise that nothing could ever compare to?

Fawnpaw stopped and started to speak to the silence, "Where's the Dark Forest?"

Flamepaw looked closely at her fur, seeing it spike up dramatically and her ears lay back. She bared her teeth in a snarl and she got down low. Then a sinister voice said coldly, "Do you think I don't know what you are doing? I'll only show you where it is for a deal."

"Oh yeah? What kind of deal?" She turned back to Flamepaw and mouthed the words, 'he can't see you'.

Flamepaw shivered and nodded, this was supposed to be Fawnpaw's dream, and he happened to be with her when that happened.

The voice chuckled and meowed, "How about a little shell? Oh, not that kind of shell. A hollow shell where I can take over for a bit. You know, relive."

"As if!" She growled, "I wouldn't ever let you live at the lakeside."

"Not even at the cost of dear Flametail here?"

Suddenly, the mist cleared away and Flamepaw gasped, seeing a tall, muscled cat with a grey and brown pelt, his eyes a menacing yellow. Right behind him, was a huge wall of silver mist. Behind that mist, was a shadowy forest; even darker than ShadowClan's territory. Tiny blue bioluminescent lights glowed dimly on the trees, and dead leaves occasionally fell off.

Fawnpaw's eyes got wide and she turned to her brother, somehow knowing that he was able to see everything due to his shocked expression. Flamepaw didn't even dare look around him to gaze at the trees.

"Is Flametail really in there?" She asked.

The stone tom nodded and purred, "just give me a shell, all you have to do is kill a cat and bring the body to moonpool where I can possess the body." He began to circle Fawnpaw, still unaware that Flamepaw was with her. Flamepaw pressed up against his sister's side, watching the tom with great curiosity, "The question is, whose body it will be? Perhaps you'll take another shot at taking away Birchpaw's life. Maybe you'll kill off some wandering rogue, or maybe even cross the borders to make sure some 'unlucky' cat will end up in your claws like some fresh-kill."

"Stop it!" Cried out Fawnpaw, "I won't directly kill a cat, understand that. Instead, I'll wait for a natural death. I'll wait for someone in my Clan to just drop dead. When that happens, I'll bring the body to you."

The tom snorted and said in a bored voice, "Fox-dung, you're no fun. Fine, you need to prove that you have promised this though, we need a contract of blood." In front of him, suddenly appeared a bright orange maple leaf. Flamepaw marveled at this tom's supernatural abilities. The cat went on, "Give me a drop of blood on this leaf to prove you have promised this on your _life._" He said the final word almost sinisterly.

Fawnpaw glared at him and raised her paw. She turned around to Flamepaw and whispered, "Cut my paw, it'll be fine, I promise."

"F-Fawnpaw…"

"Do it Flamepaw. It's for the sake of saving the tom you were named after."

Flamepaw smiled and hesitated before slashing his claws down her sister's paw. She hissed in pain as rivulets of blood dripped down. She turned around back to the leaf and smeared her paw on it, making a paw print of blood.

The leaf disappeared in an instant like it was make of dust and the tom smirked, "I'll make sure that Flametail is treated well in the Dark Forest, and keep him alive. As soon as a body is brought to me, I'll bring him back to StarClan's hunting grounds."

The siblings both felt darkness swirl their visions and they woke up with a start. Flamepaw was panting and he looked at Fawnpaw. They both looked around the moonpool clearing to see that the other medicine cats were still sleeping, but were starting to stir.

Fawnpaw looked down at her paw, still seeing a smear of blood on it. She shut her eyes and laid her paw back down. She sighed and whispered, "Run back to ShadowClan, Flamepaw. Run as fast as you can, make sure that you leave hardly any scent trail to track down Littlecloud's suspicions."

Flamepaw blinked and nuzzled Fawnpaw, realizing how much he cared about his brother and sister. He smiled and purred, "Make sure you get that cut looked at when you get back…"

**Author's Note: NO, DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT SHIPPING THE SIBLINGS. NO INCEST ALLOWED. (With the exception of Susan and Jacques, those two are sickos.)**


	15. The Wish For Death

**Author's Note: WARNING: This chapter is incredibly boring. Mostly reminiscing, and meeting other characters that have little to no importance to the story and are just stuff I'm setting up for one-shot challenges in the future. I know, kill me with wet pasta.**

**by the way, if you want to know why Hawkheart got his tail in a twist, go read the second chapter of my Book of Challenges, it explains EVERYTHING.**

Pinepaw sat down next to his brother at the gathering, waiting for Fallenstar to start it off. He glanced at his brother who sat unusually close to Fawnpaw.

Flamepaw and Fawnpaw explained what has happened in StarClan, and Pinepaw felt a little left out, but he knew that Fawnpaw only had good intentions not to drag him in with a potentially dangerous cat.

Pinepaw gazed across the clearing and saw a dark grey tabby she-cat with bright amber eyes. Pinepaw was curious about this she-cat. Swallowpaw said she couldn't come to the gathering because Troutstream had her back leg snapped in half by an abusive twoleg.

Pinepaw has heard about ThunderClan being hit with that epidemic, and he sympathizes with them.

Maybe he should talk to her. She does seem pretty depressed, so he should cheer her up. Pinepaw got up and bounded over to the dark grey tabby.

He slid over to her and meowed, "Hi there, I'm Pinepaw. What's your name?"

She blinked and muttered, "Raintail."

"You seem kind of depressed." Observed Pinepaw.

Raintail lashed her tail and hid her face, "Why wouldn't I be when both of my parents are slowly dying in the medicine den?"

Pinepaw ducked and replied, "S-sorry, I didn't know. I'm from ShadowClan."

"ThunderClan."

He shuffled his paws, noticing that she honestly didn't feel like talking at the moment. He crawled away when Fallenstar called out for the gathering to begin. Bramblestar mentioned the unfortunate deaths of Sandstorm and Greystripe, and that the sickness is still running rampant.

Pinepaw's ears perked up and he glanced at Plumpaw who said quietly in a calculating voice, "Bramblestar is sick as well. He said that his Clan is still sick because he wants a Clan to give mercy."

Pinepaw looked back up at Bramblestar who coughed quietly and let Fallenstar up.

The brown and cream tabby nodded and meowed loudly, "ShadowClan is healthy and well; thank StarClan." She glanced sympathetically at Bramblestar, "We have two new apprentices; Plumpaw and Duckpaw. Luckily, the snow isn't melting too fast and the prey is coming out. I can conclude that all of the Clans are getting drenched in rain, aren't I correct?"

Onestar purred in laughter along with Mistystar, but Bramblestar stayed cold and sick.

Mistystar stepped up and reported, "Troutstream's back leg is now broken due to violent twolegs. Shadepaw, Swallowpaw, and Reedtail have all helped drive the twolegs away, and we hope that they won't return. That is all for RiverClan." She nodded at Onestar.

"WindClan reports that Tunnelpaw has decided to become a medicine cat apprentice. The rabbits are coming out of the holes, and we have a good hunting season. Hopefully it will stay that way throughout greenleaf."

The leaders then started climbing down the trees as the Clans started to mingle loudly once more.

Pinepaw stole a look at Swift who was speaking happily to a white she-cat with a face torn in half with ginger tabby patches. Why out of all times he chose to be in ThunderClan?

And why that Clan at all when ShadowClan was obviously the healthiest out of all the Clans?

Pinepaw felt a pelt brush against his side. He looked to his left and saw Raintail with a tiny droplet of a tear in her eyes. She looked down at Pinepaw and said quietly, "Wasn't it your sister who came to ThunderClan in the middle of the night?"

He blinked then nodded.

She took a deep breath and purred suddenly, "Tell her I said thanks for saving my parents' lives."

* * *

"Do you have any dead bodies?"

Pinepaw lightly shoved Fawnpaw away and hissed, "Don't you know what an awkward question that sounds like? Besides, haven't you asked Jayfeather for one of Sandstorm or Greystripe's bodies?"

She sighed and sat down in the apprentice den. She glanced outside at the once more rainy day and patrols slogging back with fresh-kill in her mouths, their pelts soaked. Fawnpaw rested her head and meowed, "I have asked, but Jayfeather got a little weirded out. Disregarding that, he said that the bodies are already buried."

"How about I unbury them for you?"

"No, we need a fresh body."

Pinepaw gasped when Twigpaw and Duckpaw bounded into the apprentice den, soaking wet and all over the two siblings. Fawnpaw growled and gently pushed off Twigpaw. Duckpaw's eyes shined as she meowed, "Twigpaw showed me the lake! It was super wet, but it was totally great."

Pinepaw stole a glance at Twigpaw, and was shocked to realize that he no longer had fixed eyes on Fawnpaw, but now with every waking moment, his pupils were fixated on the incredibly dark brown she-cat with olive colored eyes. He exhaled a breath of relief, happy that he is no longer mooning over Fawnpaw thinking of a relationship that could never happen.

Twigpaw grinned at Duckpaw and ruffled her head fur, "Tomorrow, I'll ask Oakfur if we can go check out the hill top. It's a little bit north to the Clan, and it's free of trees, so you can see the entire territory."

Duckpaw smiled and mewed, "That sounds awesome!"

Plumpaw then came into the den, shaking her fur from rain drops. Without a word, the brown she-cat trotted to her nest at the front of the den and sat down, staring outside. Pinepaw tilted his head and scrambled away from his sister and his friends. He rested next to Plumpaw.

She turned her head to face Pinepaw and he offered a bright smile. She only sighed and turned away. Her white belly was dusted and grey from being soaked, as well as her nose-bridge, tail-tip. She sighed and shut her pale green eyes.

"Is something wrong?" Asked Pinepaw.

Plumpaw said very quietly, "I hate how cats underestimate me. I'm smarter than they think." She turned to him and blinked her wide, innocent but somehow elderly looking eyes, "Ask me anything, I will answer it."

Pinepaw thought for a moment and replied, "How many moons are in four seasons? That's a question I don't know the answer to."

"Twelve."

"How many lives does Fallenstar have left?"

"Seven."

"What is the herb to soothe pain and promote restfulness?" He smiled proudly and looked outside, "Only Fawnpaw and Littlecloud would know that."

"Easy, raspberry leaves." She blinked slowly and sighed, "Give me something harder."

Pinepaw lashed his tail, "I can't think of anything harder. Maybe I'm not as smart as you."

Plumpaw finally forced a tiny smile and purred, "Maybe." She forced herself up and sat, curling her tail over her paws, "I have noticed you aren't like the rest of the apprentices. You stood out, you know?"

"I have?"

Just then, Birchpaw walked into the den. He stretched out his claws and purred out loudly to Twigpaw, "I'm not sick anymore! I can stay back in the apprentice den."

Twigpaw gasped and rushed forward to nuzzle his brother, "Birchpaw, you're alright!"

Pinepaw turned around to see Fawnpaw staring on with something similar to regret glimmering in her eyes. What does she regret? It can't be something with being a warrior; it has to have something to do with Birchpaw.

Suddenly, Stempaw tumbled into the den and he pounced on top of Twigpaw and Birchpaw. The three brothers laughed and embraced each other happily.

Fawnpaw sighed and left them all. She flicked her tail over Pinepaw's ear and sighed. She sat down next to him as Plumpaw stepped outside, Ivytail calling out for her rather loudly.

Pinepaw looked up at his sister. She huffed and said quietly, "What if I have to kill someone for a body?"

Pinepaw set his paw on Fawnpaw's and said in a comforting voice, "You won't need to kill any cat, I promise." He bared his teeth and growled in a hushed tone, "I bet that this Hawkheart you told me about will cause some cat to die anyway. StarClan is dark and unforgiving like that."

"I agree. What if there are more cats like Hawkheart in the Dark Forest?"

All the other apprentices were given a day off, due to the consistent raining. But when it starts getting sunny again, they will train relentlessly just in case RiverClan or ThunderClan pulled a fast move.

She hung her head and whispered, "What if I can't find a body fast enough? Besides, isn't bringing a cat back to life something against the laws of nature?"

Pinepaw stayed close to his sister who was reeking with fear. He turned around and spotted the siblings playing together and teaching Duckpaw a game of theirs. She eagerly joined in, never abandoning her happy demeanor.

Silently, Pinepaw prayed for some death to occur. He doesn't want Fawnpaw to drag him into another crazy scheme involving the Dark Forest and StarClan or dead bodies or whatever.

Fawnpaw walked up to Pinepaw and looked outside, seeing the rain is finally stopping. The wind quietly whipped into their faces as Pinepaw sighed and said quietly, "Do you pray for death?"

Fawnpaw nodded and replied, "I do."


	16. Stuffing Souls into Shells

**Author's Note: Just so you guys know, the authors of Warriors said that Hawkheart **_**probably **_**went to the Dark Forest, but then it was proven false when Katy said on her Facebook that Hawkheart went to StarClan. Clearing things up here. :)**

Fawnpaw paced around the den uneasily, considering giving a cat deathberries and just getting it over with.

_"I hope you know,"_ breathed a voice in Fawnpaw's head, _"That I will cause a death for you, if that is what you wish."_

Fawnpaw sighed and meowed quietly, "I do wish for that."

The presence faded away and she went back to studying her herbs for the day. She muttered quietly to herself what feverfew was used for or-"

"Fawnpaw, I want you to go on a patrol with Duckpaw and Plumpaw."

She whipped her head around and saw Littlecloud tiredly entering the den. He glanced back outside, "I've had a little chat with Fallenstar, and we have decided that all apprentices and warriors are to know at least a little bit about medicine. While I go gather some marigold, you are to go on a patrol with them. They're leaving right now."

Fawnpaw perked her ears and nodded solemnly. Then she walked outside and stepped up to the two dark brown sisters, each of their olive colored eyes shining. Even Plumpaw seemed a little excited to extend their horizens.

Ivytail and Toadfoot kept a safe distance from one another. Then Ivytail said loudly, "We'll head over to the hill top. Oakfur and Twigpaw should be joining us soon."

Fawnpaw frowned a little bit. She knows that Twigpaw is only going to nag her about being a warrior. But who knows? Maybe he'll spend more time with Duckpaw.

Eventually, the two mud-brown toms bounded over to the patrol. Twigpaw gave a huge grin to Duckpaw and she beamed.

Toadfoot turned around and shouted, "Let's head out."

The large patrol padded on in the shadows, Ivytail leading the way as Toadfoot stayed to the back of the patrol. Twigs cracked underneath Fawnpaw's claws and she pondered on Hawkheart's words. Does StarClan really have enough power to cause a death whenever they felt like it? Fawnpaw was beginning to lose faith in StarClan; is the world like a big game to them? Maybe it's all just a play where when StarClan got bored of a few cats, they'd kill them off to keep the story flowing, smooth, and consistent.

Fawnpaw narrowed her eyes at the very thought.

She gasped when she felt a pelt brush her's. She glanced down to see Plumpaw keeping close to her. Plumpaw's ears were laid back and even though her eyes remained cold, it was obvious she was a little afraid.

Fawnpaw smiled and mewed, "Are you scared?"

"A little bit." Plumpaw said clearly, "I haven't been in this part of the territory before."

"Me neither." Fawnpaw admitted. She looked at Twigpaw who declared he will lead the way. Duckpaw bounded up to join him, and the two cats excitedly shared spots, teasing each other. "I'm sure Twigpaw has been here before. I'm guessing the view is wonderful."

Plumpaw ducked her head and muttered, "I guess so."

Suddenly, the patrol stopped and Fawnpaw looked back up at the squabbling pair of apprentices at the top of the hill. The hill was bald, and had no trees, making the view perfect. Fawnpaw listened closely and heard creaking trees, signaling this wasn't a safe place.

_"Isn't this place nice?"_ Asked Hawkheart's voice, _"This is where a cat will die."_

Fawnpaw felt a chill crawl up her spine. She laid back her ears and her tail dropped, she whispered as Plumpaw raced to the top of the hill to join her sister, "Who will it be though?"

Hawkheart chuckled and replied darkly, _"Who knows? Maybe it will be the peppy little Duckpaw. Maybe it will be the smart and silent one; Plumpaw. Perhaps fate will twist it's tail for Twigpaw; the tom who used to have high affections for you. Maybe one of the three mentors, Ivytail, Toadfoot, or Oakfur. They're all such fine bodies I could use. Each aren't all scratched and scarred up, and they all have their perks."_

"Shut up…" muttered Fawnpaw, "Let fate weave itself, Hawkheart…"

She jogged to the top of the hill and looked around. Twigpaw, Plumpaw, and Duckpaw all stood in a row, staring across the trees. Fawnpaw rushed over to join them. She sat down and stared at the scenery. Green pine trees everywhere. The sight literally took her breath away.

The lake sparkled and shone in the sunlight. All the snow was now gone, and she could see in RiverClan and ThunderClan territory that their trees have fully budded emerald leaves. WindClan's moors were smooth and rolling as always.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Said Twigpaw to all the apprentices, "I know all of you haven't seen it."

Fawnpaw didn't say anything as the cool breeze whipped across her fur. She took in the refreshing air, and was awash in the feeling of freedom. The wind felt so pure and perfect on her skin, like this is where she belonged.

Perhaps… it _is_ perfect for a death to occur.

Then her mind cracked in two. Death; someone is going to die here. She bit her lip and looked around at all the cats. Twigpaw sitting close to Duckpaw and Oakfur standing between Toadfoot and Ivytail. Plumpaw cold and calculating.

Then another thought hit her; is she safe as well?

She shook away the idea. She has to be safe, she's the cat that has voices in her head taunting her. She isn't going to die here and now, she can't.

Oakfur laid down in the grass and meowed, "Aren't you going to teach us about the herbs, Fawnpaw?"

She blinked and purred awkwardly, "I think that Littlecloud is more suitable to teach you. I don't quite know everything there is to know yet."

Oakfur shrugged, "Makes sense. We could stay here for a bit I suppose." He rubbed his shoulders on the grass and exhaled, "I've always needed a break."

Ivytail shot a glare at Oakfur and meowed, "You're so lazy, Oakfur. If anything, I think Fallenstar's _mate_ who is always nitpicking and being stupid is more suitable of a deputy than you."

"Starlingwing is a fine choice. But she has told me the reason for not choosing him." He shut his eyes, "She didn't because he's her mate after all, so if she chose him, everyone in the Clan would think the only reason she chose him was because of love. She needed to shove her feelings aside and make sure it's a cat that can stay on task."

Toadfoot rolled his eyes, "And you aren't on task."

"This is a stupid argument." Growled Plumpaw, "Shouldn't we all just lay down and relax for a bit. The reason you all are being so arrogant is because you're all tense and wound up."

Fawnpaw grinned at her. Plumpaw was correct, everyone is just so tense right now, but Fawnpaw has a good reason for this. Someone is going to die. So she might as well enjoy the moment before such a terrible thing happens.

_"Are you ready?"_

Fawnpaw took a deep breath and looked around at all the cats she was with once more. What if it was Twigpaw who was going to die? Fawnpaw knows that Twigpaw likes her, but what if it isn't him? If he does die, Fawnpaw will make his final moments worth it.

Then she said in a calm, feverish whisper, "Yes…"

Suddenly, a strong wind whipped up and Fawnpaw stood up. She looked around and meowed loudly, "We should be getting back to camp."

Oakfur yawned and nodded, "Agreed."

The cats got up and began to walk back down the hill. The wind got stronger and stronger, whipping and threatening to tear off Fawnpaw's tail.

Trees waved and tugged back and forth, pine needles and leaves fluttering off like feathers on the wind.

Then the crack came.

It was a low moan, and she turned around to see a tall pine tree starting to bend over to them all. For a brief second, she saw a mottled grey and brown pelt behind the tree, and a dark face, smirking. It faded away in a heartbeat, and suddenly, a screech came from the tree, finally toppling over.

What Fawnpaw didn't realize, was that the tree was toppling straight to her. She stared up in horror as the tree accelerated faster and faster until it was only a tail-length on top of her.

A scream spilled from her mouth and she tried to scramble away, only something pushed her.

She gasped and thumped down onto the ground, her head reeling and spinning. She looked up with bleary eyes to see Twigpaw now under the tree, in her place.

Ivytail gasped and sprinted over to Twigpaw, his body limp underneath the pine tree.

The wind started to die down, and Fawnpaw's brown eyes were wide with shock. She slowly walked over to Twigpaw's limp body under the huge pine tree. Blood trickled out of his mouth, and his blue eyes were glazed. A tiny smile played on his lips, and he looked up at Fawnpaw.

Fawnpaw bit her lip and got down low to Twigpaw's eye level. "Twigpaw… I-"

"Shut up…" he gasped. He raised a paw forward and pressed it onto Fawnpaw's cheek, "You and I both know that I have high regards for."

"I'm sorry for being such a jerk to you. I only did so because… because I'm a medicine cat, you know?"

He nodded weakly, "I understand, what if things were different?"

Fawnpaw remained quiet, too scared to even think what her life would have been like if she was a warrior instead. She turned to Duckpaw, who had tears rolling down her cheeks. Fawnpaw smiled and gave a gentle lick to his forehead. "You're a good friend."

She stepped away and let Duckpaw shove her way to his face. Duckpaw nuzzled him and cried out, "I really liked you, Twigpaw! Don't die on me yet, please!"

He forced a smile and weakly purred, "I think I liked you too, Duckpaw." Then he closed his eyes, and died with a smile on his face.

All the mentors stared on in horror, shocked that Twigpaw has just died.

_"Bring his body to moonpool tonight."_

Fawnpaw felt a tear drop down her cheek and she thought, _We can't use his body, it's too crushed._

Hawkheart chuckled and said, _"I have my ways."_

* * *

The patrol managed to pull Twigpaw's body out from under the tree, and let Fawnpaw prepare his crushed body for the vigil. She cleaned away all the blood and scratches, and made sure his pelt no longer reeked of death.

However, she didn't take him to the camp for vigil.

Instead, she took the body out of the camp in secrecy and carried it up to moonpool. She didn't tell Flamepaw or Pinepaw, she didn't even ask for their help. She planned to do this alone, and pay the contract that she has fulfilled.

She was getting tired and sweaty hauling the body up. The humid air of dusk filled her lungs and mosquitos bit her repeatedly. She pressed on though, carrying a smashed Twigpaw and sweating.

The moonpool was ahead, and she dragged it slowly along the pathway. It was finally time to revive this fox-heart and save Flametail from his dreaded fate.

Fawnpaw gasped and flopped down next to the moonpool, laying the body with her. She stared at Twigpaw's dead face, and she felt a tear roll down her cheek once more. She wiped it away and thought for a moment. Fawnpaw never loved Twigpaw back, but she did know that he was a kind Clanmate and a good friend to Flamepaw.

"Come out you fox-faced pile of horse dung…" Fawnpaw hissed blindly into the darkness around the glowing moonpool. She laid down on her side and gasped, "Release Flametail and take this StarClan-forsaken body…"

A long moment passed as she waited for Hawkheart to emerge. Eventually, she watched as his transparent spirit stepped out from behind the huge boulder behind the moonpool. He smirked and slid over to Fawnpaw and Twigpaw's body.

Fawnpaw resisted letting her fur prickle as Hawkheart pressed his paw against Twigpaw's neck. He nodded, "Good and dead."

"Is Flametail released?" Asked Fawnpaw.

Hawkheart raised his paw and said solemnly, "I have released Flametail from the Dark Forest. He is now back in StarClan with his kin and ancestors. He sighed and looked away, "Don't ask why I'm out of it tonight, I had a lot of reminiscing to do."

Fawnpaw nudged her head to Twigpaw and said, "Take it then."

"First, put the body in the moonpool."

Fawnpaw hesitated and she stared at Twigpaw for a moment. She shook her head and shoved the body into the water. Hawkheart condensed into a formless pale blue mist and it filed into the moonpool.

Fawnpaw stepped back as Twigpaw's body began to radiate a sun yellow, and the water glowed a bright blue, illuminating Fawnpaw's face. She stepped back and shielded her eyes from the glowing.

Fawnpaw waited for a voice to emit as the light slowly began to fade. Once more, all was quiet and the only sound was the trickling water dripping down from the rock. She turned around and saw a dark brown tom with pale blue eyes panting. He raised his paw and looked at it for a moment.

The brown tom took a step forward but stumbled down. Water dripped down from his pelt, and he looked up in shock at Fawnpaw. His wounds were all healed, and his body was no longer crushed.

"I'm alive again… I'm…"

Fawnpaw took a step forward and sniffed the tom. It was still definitely Twigpaw, but all at once she knew it wasn't… Twigpaw.

"I'm Hawkheart, it's me, I'm alive!" He cackled and looked up at the skyline, "Great StarClan, it's good to be back and in the flesh!" Then he paused and cleared his throat. He blinked and meowed, "My voice sounds different."

"It's because you're in the body of an apprentice named Twigpaw." Answered Fawnpaw.

"You have no idea how much I am thanking you for this."

Fawnpaw circled Hawkheart-in the body of Twigpaw- and hissed, "Well, you can't run off to WindClan because you are in the body of Twigpaw. Since you're now Twigpaw, I don't have the body for the vigil to prove he's dead." She narrowed her eyes, "You are no longer Hawkheart, and since you are a spirit possessing the shell of Twigpaw, the Clan wouldn't exactly think he's dead anymore."

Hawkheart huffed, "So now I have to go live in ShadowClan."

Fawnpaw unsheathed her claws and growled, "Don't make me scratch up that perfectly good pelt now."

Hawkheart-Now Twigpaw; rolled his eyes and meowed, "Relax, I'm not going to try and escape."

Fawnpaw nodded and signaled by her tail for him to follow her.

Now, Fawnpaw has officially defied the laws of nature.


	17. My Name is Hawk- I Mean, Twigpaw!

**Author's Note: Hey, hey, HEY. Would you guys like to see Hawkheart/Twigpaw get reformed? Wouldn't that be nice?**

**Remember how cruel I am when typing stories, all right? Things never end well. Either a sacrifice fixes everything or a cat dies and everyone cries. Including you.**

**P.S.S: Oh my Celestia, we hit 100 reviews! I love you guys!**

Flamepaw circled around the camp, wondering when Twigpaw's body will be brought out for the vigil. He looked at his brother and asked, "Why is she taking such a long time?"

Pinepaw shrugged, "Who knows? Maybe she feels guilty for his death. He did push her out of the way and get smashed under that tree instead of her."

Stempaw and Birchpaw took the death the hardest. Stempaw stayed quiet and didn't say a thing while Birchpaw cried his eyes out in the apprentice den. Smokefoot and Applefur are walking together in the woods, silently, too depressed to even sit vigil for this now deceased son.

Breaking the silence, Oakfur looked up at the camp entrance and said in a hushed tone, "There's Fawnpaw… and…"

Flamepaw turned to the entrance and stared with wide green eyes. Standing next to Fawnpaw was Twigpaw, fully healed and his blue eyes bright as always.

The entire Clan stared in shock at the two cats. Fawnpaw stepped forward and said loudly, "Twigpaw's wounds weren't fatal as thought to be. That tree only caused unconsciousness." She nodded grimly to him and went on, "In case you have internal damage, sleep it off in the apprentice den."

Twigpaw smirked and purred, "Of course, Fawnpaw." He trotted over to the apprentice den. The entire Clan stared at Fawnpaw like she has just commit murder.

Flamepaw stepped up to her and meowed quietly, "There's no way he could have survived a tree fall like that, undamaged as he is!"

Fawnpaw looked around and whispered, "I'll tell you in the medicine den."

The siblings bounded over to the medicine den and they walked over to Fawnpaw's nest. Flamepaw sat down and tried not to inhale the stinking herbs inside. He sat down and growled, "So, there's no way he could have survived."

"That's because he didn't." Breathed Fawnpaw shakily, her breath was uneven and scared, "Inside of that body of Twigpaw is Hawkheart's soul."

Flamepaw blinked and laid back his ears, "You brought a cat back to life."

"N-Not really, Twigpaw should be dead in StarClan right now." She looked outside and whispered, "No matter what you think, no matter what he says, he _isn't _Twigpaw. It's Hawkheart. You watched me make that contract with him: a pact of blood."

Flamepaw glanced at the medicine den once more and sighed, "Let's murder him then."

"No! You never know if he'll just kill Flametail once he gets back to the Dark Forest or StarClan o-or whatever."

"The rest of the Clan think it's Twigpaw." Flamepaw bared his fangs, "I saw Hawkheart in StarClan, and he's stupid and horrible."

She blinked and turned around, "I don't know… he seemed awfully happy to be alive again. He said he's been reminiscing in StarClan."

"He's a filthy liar, I just know it. And besides, I'd be 'awfully happy' as well if I died and was shoved back into a body."

Fawnpaw ducked her head and curled up to sleep, "I think I want to know… his entire story."

* * *

"Good morning, fellow Clanmates!" Cried out Twigpaw leaping out of the apprentice den.

Fawnpaw rolled her eyes and walked up to him, "Let's made sure you have entirely healed."

Twigpaw tilted his head then nodded and followed Flamepaw's sister into the medicine den.

Flamepaw sighed and turned his gaze to Pinepaw. Pinepaw looked back at him and said in a quiet voice, "That isn't Twigpaw."

Flamepaw didn't respond to his brother.

Oakfur was still sitting underneath the High Branch, stunned that his apprentice has survived a tree fall even after it has obviously shattered his spine and proven to be fatal; Briarlight of ThunderClan is a prime example of that.

"Flamepaw," shouted out Ferretclaw, "Me, you, Oakfur and Twigpaw are going to do some training at the hollow."

He groaned and got up. He shot a glare at Twigpaw who wore a smug smile on his face. Flamepaw snorted and walked out through the entrance with the three cats. He began to sprint down the pathway with Twigpaw following close behind. He glanced back at him and Twigpaw's eyes gleamed bright blue. But Flamepaw knew that underneath those blue eyes is a horrible conniving cat that convinced his sister that she one of the Clans are going to be wiped out.

But he looked so happy. He was happy to be alive again.

Flamepaw bursted into the training hollow. He turned around and narrowed his eyes at the other cats walking in. Oakfur sat down at the edge of the clearing and meowed, "We will work on the death bite technique."

"But warriors aren't supposed to kill others to win a battle." Protested Flamepaw as his tail bushed out.

Ferretclaw glanced at Oakfur and replied, "The death bite is used as a last resort. Don't worry, most of it will come instinctively." The cream and silver tom got down low and laid back his creamy ears, "You act like you are hunting prey, that's basically all it is." Suddenly, Ferretclaw leaped forward onto Flamepaw, pinning him down. Stones dropped down onto the ginger tom's shoulders. He stared up at his mentor as Ferretclaw continued, "You dip down your head and without a single hesitation, you clamp down your jaws as hard as you possibly can around the neck." He got off of his apprentice and nodded.

Flamepaw scrambled to his paws.

Oakfur stepped forward, "That will be enough of the death bite." Then he muttered under his breath, "That's the worst thing you can teach to apprentices."

"Yeah, but Fallenstar told us that we have to teach our apprentices, especially her kits."

Flamepaw perked his ears and growled softly. Fallenstar is babying him to learn how to shield himself up too well.

He turned his head over to Twigpaw who was staring dumbfounded at him, like he doesn't remember how to be warrior.

_That's right,_ Flamepaw thought, _Hawkheart was a medicine cat. He needs to learn really quickly._

Flamepaw got down low as Oakfur said loudly, "I would like to see you two apprentices fight for a little bit, and see how much you have progressed."

Twigpaw nodded almost nervously, like he wasn't sure how a ShadowClan cat would attack as opposed to WindClan. Flamepaw took a deep breath and realized that if the Clan found out that Twigpaw wasn't really Twigpaw, then they would immediately accuse Fawnpaw of dark powers granted from the Place of No Stars.

Since Flamepaw and Fawnpaw are her brothers and have even committed a few crimes in help of her, they could be exiled along with her!

Even thought Flamepaw didn't want to, the safest option would be to teach Twigpaw how to fight like a ShadowClan cat. Flamepaw doesn't want to watch his sister be outcasted because of Twigpaw's incompetence.

Flamepaw bunched up his muscles and narrowed his eyes like he was about to leap across a huge ravine. Suddenly, he released the tension locked inside of him and he tumbled on top of Twigpaw. He gasped and his blue eyes got wide.

Flamepaw growled and thought of that horrible cat named Hawkheart.

He hissed and shoved Twigpaw's shoulder into the ground while using one of his back legs to drag his claws gently down his belly.

"Sheathed claws!" Shouted Ferretclaw.

Flamepaw ignored him. He got down to Twigpaw's ear and growled in a low, dangerous tone, "if you dare mess with my sister in any way, you will have this to answer to…"

Without warning, Flamepaw swooped down his head and grasped his teeth around Twigpaw's shoulder. Twigpaw cried out in pain and tried to get away.

Oakfur darted forward and shoved Flamepaw off of his apprentice. Flamepaw smirked and shot a satisfied look at Twigpaw. Twigpaw bared his teeth and glared as his eyes formed two chips of cold blue ice.

Ferretclaw walked up to Flamepaw and ruffled his apprentice's head fur. Flamepaw looked up at his mentor and smiled. Ferretclaw returned the smile and said, "That was very good, Flamepaw. You fight like Fallenstar."

Oakfur helped up Twigpaw and nodded, "You and your mother are pretty similar, especially your fighting style. You use as many limbs as possible to pin down any essentials to the other cat. She always aimed for the shoulder, which is very well chosen. If the shoulder is injured or pinned, they'll have a very hard time reaching for her face."

"What about me?" Asked Twigpaw looking up at Oakfur, "How did I do?"

Oakfur bit his lip and replied, "Unfortunately, you fought like a kit in a nursery. It was like you have walked out for the first time."

"I wasn't _that_ bad, right?"

Ferretclaw rolled his eyes, "What does matter is that Twigpaw has learned from this." Then he looked up at the sky and said, "I'm getting a little hungry, and I suppose that the apprentices are considerably tired. We'll go to the camp, get some prey, and wait until nightfall for some nighttime training."

Oakfur and Ferretclaw flicked their tails as they exit the clearing. Twigpaw and Flamepaw remained. Flamepaw angrily turned to Twigpaw and growled, "Couldn't you at least try to fight back?"

"I was a medicine cat as Hawkheart, _Flamey._" Twigpaw snarled as he unsheathed his claws, "What did you expect me to do? You were going way too fast anyway." He lowered his gaze and went on, "You're fast just like your kin who have happened to murder my mother."

Flamepaw beamed and mewed in a cocky tone, "So that's why you're terrorizing ShadowClan."

Twigpaw lashed his tail and smirked, "Why not, it was definitely your kin. Fallenstar looks just like that she-cat that-"

Suddenly, he cut off and his tail stood still. He took a step back and looked away, "I'm sorry, I get so worked up talking about that innocent she-cat like that."

Flamepaw got down low and said, "Let's have a battle then, a real one. If I win, you tell me why ShadowClan makes you tick. If you win… uh… what do you want from me?"

"I just want you to quit pestering me about Fawnpaw." He pressed his claws against his own flesh where his heart should be, "It really annoys me, especially since this _fox-dung _luck body had to be the tom that has fallen in love with her. Unfortunately, the feelings have still latched on to this shell and now messes with me. So I'd greatly appreciate it if you quit talking about her."

Flamepaw grinned and purred, "Let's go then."

Twigpaw got down low and the two toms stared each other down. Twigpaw's blue eyes didn't look all that threatening, but Flamepaw knew he looked intimidating. Flamepaw has practiced making the scariest faces possible while staring at his reflection in the lake.

Twigpaw made the first move, he reeled forward and Flamepaw neatly sidestepped for him. Twigpaw faceplanted into the ground as Flamepaw leaped on top of him and dug his face into the dirt. Flamepaw scored his claws down the brown tom's back and a cry of pain emerged from his mouth.

Flamepaw put his back paw on Twigpaw's tail and smiled sadistically, loving Twigpaw's cries of pain.

"Stop, you won, okay?"

"About time." The tabby stepped off of his back and helped him up. He began to circle Twigpaw and gloated, "That was the easiest win ever. It's like you're just a kit fresh off of his mother's belly. Now, about that backstory you promised…"

Twigpaw gingerly rubbed his back with his tail. He winced in pain and snapped, "Fine, I'll tell you everything. First off, I was born in WindClan by a beautiful grey dappled she-cat warrior. Saying her name hurts my heart more than it already does. My father has died before I was even born." He took a deep breath and went on, "She was at first a warrior, but when the only medicine cat passed away, StarClan called her for the next medicine cat, saying that they will train and guide her. She was torn away from my tiny kit paws, and that left me alone and defenseless against the brutal bullying and relentless teasing.

"My name was Hawkpaw as I began training to be a warrior. But the teasing only went on and on, eventually a she-cat named Heatherpaw stepped up to my defense and became the closest friend I got. One night at a gathering, I have attacked the future leader of ShadowClan, he was Cederbark back then. He kept on making horrible suggestive comments and grew more and more rude and forceful to Heatherpaw. I couldn't watch any longer, so I came forward and attacked him. Since it was the time of a gathering, my mother pulled me away.

"When I got to the camp, Sparrowstar punished me by making me clean elders' pelts with mouse-bile for a moon. Later on, Heatherpaw suggested that I become a medicine cat to avoid the bullying. So I did." He hung his head like he was remembering something painful, "I became a medicine cat trained by my mother. Eventually, I became Hawkheart. It didn't take long, but one day she just disappeared while on the hunt for herbs. I waited for literally a half moon for her, and I had a hard time eating and sleeping without her."

He narrowed his eyes and looked pointedly at Flamepaw, "When I finally came out of the den, Heatherpaw –now Heatherflower- told me that she was dead, found bloodied and battered at the ShadowClan border. Right then, I was consumed with fury and rage, and I ran right over to the border. At the moment, a patrol by passing by and without hesitation…" he looked down at his paws and he breathed shakily, "I murdered a she-cat named Hazelstripe without a second thought. She looked a lot like Fallenstar. I was taken back to the camp and was forced to live the rest of my days in bitterness and hatred, watching as Heatherflower became Heatherstar."

Twigpaw's eyes were now filled with pain and sorrow. He shook his head and stood up, straightening his body, "Not like you would ever understand what it would be like to live without a father to guide you as your mother was torn away by StarClan to live as a medicine cat. Your mother is successful and became the leader of your Clan while you have such a great father who cares for you." Tears now rimmed his eyes as he unsheathed his claws and dug them into the ground, "I hate ShadowClan. Some day, ShadowClan will pay for its dark sins and buried secrets. Some secrets literally buried."

Twigpaw then turned tail and began to follow Oakfur and Ferretclaw's scent trail. Flamepaw looked down at his claws and sat down.

Is he supposed to feel mercy for this monster now?


	18. Leaders Are Responsible (Really?)

**Author's Note: YAY, special POV time!**

Fallenstar paced uneasily around her den, thinking about the newest prophecy that Yellowfang has sent her; "The new fire is alive and hungry, and is willing to do anything to quench that hunger."

Undoubtedly, it was about her son, Flamepaw. Flamepaw was unquestionably fiercely loyal to ShadowClan and is willing to give anything for his Clan.

She was there, watching Fawnpaw drag Twigpaw's body away when she got overly curious about what was taking so long.

Fallenstar knew that she was slowly beginning to have her sanity decay. Her mind was rotting away from the pressure of leadership, parenthood, and remaining loyal without showing a shred of sympathy or hope for the other Clans. Blackstar has told her that if she was soft as kittypet slop, the Clans will walk all over ShadowClan.

Fallenstar had to toughen up and look horribly sadistic about blood and loyalties. Blackstar wasn't all rainbows and happiness either. As soon as Redwillow has announced his betrayal, he was executed right on the spot. Will she have to do that as well?

If Blackstar was still leader, he would have either exiled Sparrowfang or killed him.

She looked outside of the den to see Twigpaw talking to Flamepaw, then his fur rising up angrily and stomping off to the apprentice den.

She slowly closed her eyes and let the breeze whip through her pelt. Fallenstar loved the simple life much more than the complications of being a leader. She didn't hate it that much though; she had power. And power felt so good in her claws.

However, Fallenstar was determined to not let the power slip through her claws and let it overtake her; turning her into a sadistic, bloodthirsty leader that snaps at the even the smallest inconvenience.

Little did she know that she was already like that. Ever since Robinwing kidnapped Pinepaw as a kit and nearly murdered him, she has almost toppled over the edge. Without even thinking, she has declared a thirst for blood when they counterattacked RiverClan.

"Fallenstar,"

She looked up to see Starlingwing walk into the leader's den. His smile was warm and comforting, his amber eyes glinting in the moonlight.

"I hear you cry in your sleep at night."

She sighed and hung her head. Fallenstar looked at her mate and muttered, "It's about Flamepaw,"

Starlingwing frowned and sat down next to Fallenstar, "We have already discussed Flamepaw and your prophecy of his." He nuzzled her cream muzzle and he said softly as his voice suddenly cracked, "I will not let either you or our son lose their minds."

The cream and brown tabby paused before breathing out, "I think I already lost it."

Starlingwing shook his head and pulled his mate close to him. "I'll stay with you for the night. By the time it's morning, you'll the thinking clearly once again."

Fallenstar smiled and closed her eye. She felt something prick her eye, but she only let it fall. A tear dripped down onto Starlingwing's shoulder.

"I'll stay with you…" he whispered holding her tightly, "I'll stay…"

* * *

Fallenstar woke up to see a fiery ginger tabby tom sleeping soundly in her paws. She gave a tiny frown and closed her eyes, embracing her mate in a loving paw wrap around his neck.

The tom turned to face her and he smiled as he pressed his nose against hers.

Fallenstar slowly blinked her sweet green eyes and wrapped her paw around his body and twined her tail with his. She was so sorry for being a burden to him. She was sorry for bringing a kit destined for insanity into the world. Would it be Fawnpaw destined for this insanity to be shared with her mother?

Fallenstar knew in her gut that Fawnpaw has done dark magic with Twigpaw's crushed and broken body. Is she supposed to lose her mind?

Is it Pinepaw who turns out to be sanest of them all?

Or perhaps a tom named Flamepaw who someone said to spill blood all in the name of protecting his Clan?

The cream and brown tabby was scared, but she knew that it was destiny. It was destiny that StarClan has laid out for them all.

Starlingwing opened his warm amber eyes and meowed, "Would you like to take a walk in the woods?"

She shook her head and weakly stood up, as if the weight of being a leader wore down heavy on her shoulders, "No, I can manage it." She looked up at the sky, remembering seeing a bright half moon last night as Fawnpaw departed for the moonpool.

"The moons travel so fast." Purred Starlingwing, "And with each year, we grow older together, watching a Clan morph and grow into something not formless, but beautiful and strong. It's because of you my fallen sky…"

She purred when Starlingwing used her nickname for her. She stood up and looked around before saying formally to her mate, "Do you think it's about time that Stempaw and his siblings are turned into warriors?"

Starlingwing nodded, "It is time, they've grown much bigger now, and Twigpaw…" he tilted his head, "Did he really save our daughter's life? If he thrown her aside and emerge unharmed, would that still be happening to Fawnpaw if he hadn't pushed her aside? Was her life really in danger to begin with?"

"Maybe not, but most cats would have died from such an impact." Fallenstar began to walk out of the den, "I believe that Twigpaw has saved our daughter from a gory demise."

She walked out of her den and clawed her way up to the High Branch. She planted her paws firmly on the strong branch and cleared her throats, "All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather here beneath the High Branch for a Clan meeting."

A moment later, ShadowClan swarmed together underneath the tree. Fallenstar swept her green gaze across everyone and meowed loudly, "Today, I will have Twigpaw, Stempaw, and Birchpaw prove they are worthy of a warrior through an assessment."

When an apprentice is becoming a warrior a bit early, they must go through the assessment. If their warrior ceremony is pushed back a few or even several moons, they are not to be given an assessment, given the extra time they have trained for. Fallenstar has gladly made up these rules as opposed to Blackstar who made cats a warrior just based on a whim, such as when Fallenstar first became a warrior _much _too early than when she was supposed to.

The three apprentices stepped forward.

"Oakfur, Tigerheart, and Snowbird, you will not assess your own apprentice, but rather watch a different apprentice. Oakfur will assess Birchpaw, Tigerheart will asses Twigpaw, and Snowbird will asses Stempaw. You may all hunt wherever you like. Each apprentice will be based on their technique when hunting, and each mentor may even sneak up and pounce on you, so be prepared to defend yourself."

Stempaw and Birchpaw nodded evenly, but Twigpaw was much more hesitant, like he wasn't ready for this.

"You may leave at sunhigh, and I shall do the ceremonies at dusk. Any questions?"

All cats shook their heads.

Fallenstar smiled, "Clan dismissed."

The leader clawed her way back down the tree and stood face to face with Oakfur. She blinked and asked, "Something wrong with what we had arranged?"

"Not at all, it's very well planned out and efficient times. It's just that… I don't think Twigpaw is ready to be a warrior."

Fallenstar stepped back, "What makes you say that? I have been to one of his training sessions and he fights swiftly without mercy. I have been on a hunting patrol with him, and he caught two ravens and one thrush that day. Those birds have fed the Clan for about a moon due to their huge size. What makes you think he isn't ready to be a warrior?"

Oakfur lowered his ears and said calmly, "I have seen his fighting yesterday at the hollow. It's terrible; it was like he couldn't even fight back. Flamepaw beat him within mere heartbeats."

Fallenstar huffed and responded smoothly, "I have faith in Twigpaw that he'll do fine next to his brothers, and I'm sure Applefur and Smokefoot would say the same thing."

Oakfur sighed and turned around to the fresh-kill pile, "I sure hope you know what you're doing."

Fallenstar then said in a low growl, "I always know what I'm doing."

Then she stomped off to the medicine den to see about Littlecloud and make sure he isn't catching another crazy illness like last year. She stepped between the rocks and tree roots and her pelt brushed against the overhanging ferns. Littlecloud offered a warm greeting to her and the leader smiled back.

She looked around for her daughter and meowed, "Where's Fawnpaw?"

"She's out in the woods."

Fallenstar narrowed her eyes, "Fawnpaw has been going out into the forest a lot lately."

Littlecloud nodded in agreement and perked up his ears, "And I'm note sure if this is exactly important or not, but she always returns smelling like a raven."

"That's ridiculous, Littlecloud. She may just happen to be stumbling onto some prey a lot. Perhaps she was meant to be a warrior…"

Littlecloud glared and hissed, "She is _not _meant to be a warrior. I get enough nagging from Twigpaw. Anyway, she's been smelling like a raven every time she goes out, every single time she comes back, she smells like raven, and not even a trace of blood, like she isn't even bothering to catch it. If she smells so strongly like a raven, the only way a cat can latch onto that scent is if they get close enough to touch it."

"So if she's not hunting a raven, what is she doing?"

Littlecloud's gaze glowered as he said grimly, "She must be taking care of it."


	19. You're My Heartless Pillow

**Author's Note: Hopefully you have read the notes I made in my Animal Crossing and Portal fanfics about my family problems at the moment, so the updates might be a little late. I will try my best to post every two days, maybe even later, but I'd never go for more than a week without posting on Autumn's Awakening. Keep your chins up. ;)**

**Also, I got a poll on my profile asking about what fanfic I should try to make when this story is done. I got some pretty cool titles in my head for the future so- yeah.**

When Pinepaw heard that it was time for their assessments, he knew he had to protect his sister's reputation just in case the Clan finds out that really isn't Twigpaw.

"Twigpaw, come over here!" Called out Flamepaw at the entrance of the medicine den. Pinepaw, Flamepaw, and Fawnpaw sat together at the den, hoping that together they can formulate a plan. Twigpaw bounded over to them and he tilted his head. Flamepaw glanced at Fawnpaw then nodded as the siblings and Twigpaw walked into the den.

"Where's Littlecloud?" Asked Pinepaw looking around.

"He's out gathering dock leaves, so we have the den all to ourselves." She responded sitting into her nest. She looked around at the cats and she took a deep breath, "Unfortunately, Fallenstar believes that it's time for Twigpaw to become a warrior but instead of delaying it, she decided that she should hold an assessment."

Flamepaw perked his ears and meowed, "We should probably come up with a plan quickly before she declares it's time for Twigpaw to head out with Tigerheart on his tail." He turned to Twigpaw, "Got something?"

Twigpaw only smirked and purred, "As if I care that Fawnpaw is exiled for dark arts."

Flamepaw glared coldly into his skull and growled, "If they Clan finds out you aren't really Twigpaw, they would exile or maybe even execute _you_ as well. Your life depends on this just as much as my sister's does."

Twigpaw laid back his ears and averted his gaze.

Pinepaw blinked and said quietly, "I have an idea."

The three cats looked at the pale brown tom.

Pinepaw flicked his tail and went on, "I can tail Twigpaw and catch prey for him." He lowered his head, "Unfortunately, Tigerheart is going to be following him, so we either slip past him somehow or tell him the situation."

"I don't think he'd believe us." Snorted Flamepaw, "He'd only think we got some crazy grudge against him and is trying to ruin Twigpaw's assessment."

Fawnpaw smiled weakly and purred, "I'm sure if we worded it correctly, he'd understand." Then she looked around the den and gasped suddenly, "Even better idea! How about during the assessment, Twigpaw 'saves' someone's life!"

Flamepaw's mouth curled into a smile, "That sounds actually pretty good! We could put one of our lives in danger and trust Twigpaw to save us. That would definitely prove him a good warrior and no suspicion will arise that it's not really Twigpaw."

"He already saved my life." Then Fawnpaw shot a glare at Twigpaw and growled, "_The _Twigpaw saved my life. Not Hawkheart."

Twigpaw returned the glare, only with a smirk. He then turned his gaze to the three siblings and he grinned widely, "Sounds like a fine idea. I save one of your lives and everything is peachy. So who will I save?"

Pinepaw sighed and meowed, "I can do it. Flamepaw isn't too keen on being with you and the Clan would suspect an affair if Fawnpaw is saved."

Fawnpaw narrowed her eyes and blushed.

Flamepaw nodded at his brother, "Alright then, it's settled. Pinepaw will be out in the woods, seeming like his life has been put in danger, even though it isn't. Then Twigpaw swoops in and saves him, am I right?"

"You are most certainly correct." Meowed Twigpaw, "now all we need is to plan the place."

Pinepaw stood up and replied, "I'll be at the hill hanging from a high branch, all you have to do is jump in to catch me as I'm falling."

"Wouldn't that hurt though?" Asked Fawnpaw rolling her eyes, "I don't want to have to fix broken bones of yours."

Pinepaw forced a smile and said to his sister, "Yes, it might hurt a little but it'll be fine."

"Are you saying I'm going to have to cushion your fall?" Asked Twigpaw in shock.

Pinepaw snuck a smirk at Twigpaw, "Yes, you'll be my cushion for a little bit."

* * *

The assessment has begun, and Pinepaw was climbing to the hill, getting pine needles stuck in his paws the whole time. He eventually saw a large pine tree crossing his path, covered in blood and fur. That must have been where Twigpaw has originally died.

Pinepaw swerved around the blood and scrambled over the fallen pine tree, his claws crunching beneath the tender wood.

He flopped down on the other side and trotted over to the top of the hill. He sat down at the crest and stared out across the stretch of land known as the territories of the Clans.

The day was cloudy and the wind was deathly still. He took a deep breath and turned around and dug his claws into an oak tree's bark. He grunted and pulled himself upwards, frustrated how Smokefoot never taught him how to climb trees.

His back claws slipped for a moment and he gasped for breath.

Without warning, a thick, acrid stench hit his nostrils. He suddenly gagged and he looked down at the ground to see a huge black creature with a flat tail, long muzzle with white stripes and large, beady black eyes. A badger!

It snapped open the huge gaping jaws and snarled at Pinepaw. Pinepaw gasped and scrambled the rest of the way up the tree in a quick, terrified flurry.

_At least they can't climb…_ He flicked his ears then looked down to see the badger dig it's large talons into the oak bark and begin to slowly scale up the tree.

_Oh. They _can_ climb trees…_

Pinepaw huddled close to the end of the branch and wrapped his paws around the end. This has to be the end; all because he was helping a cat he didn't even consider a friend anymore.

The badger growled angrily at Pinepaw and climbed higher and higher, the salivating jaws and huge claws getting closer to the brown patched tabby tom.

Pinepaw laid back his ears and shut his eyes and he quietly began to pray to StarClan, _Please spare my life, I have a sister to take care of, I have my mother and father to take care of. I love ShadowClan so much, and I don't want to die. StarClan, please, I want to live._

"Pinepaw!"

Pinepaw looked down and snapped open his eyes to see Twigpaw staring up in shock at him and the badger. Twigpaw narrowed his eyes and tilted his head, "Is that badger part of the plan?"

"S-Shut up and save me!" He cried out hearing the swoosh of the badger's claws attempting to knock Pinepaw out of the tree.

Twigpaw nodded and rushed to the oak tree and began to scale it only slightly faster than the badger. Twigpaw reached up and bit down hard on the badger's tail. The badger shouted out in pain and was pulled down to the ground. Twigpaw hissed and threw himself down onto the black and white creature.

It was slammed down as Twigpaw ferociously shredded his claws down the badger's back.

Eventually, Tigerheart bursted out onto the hilltop and lunged angrily at the badger.

Then another sickening creak followed as Pinepaw's branch dipped to the ground.

Pinepaw gasped and only stood frozen as the branch dipped lower and lower and the moans became louder.

Pinepaw shut his eyes and said quietly before the branch snapped entirely, "StarClan help me…"

Now he fell down, hitting every other branch that snapped in his face and scratched his skin. Twigpaw looked up to see Pinepaw tumbling almost literally out of the sky. Twigpaw abandoned the badger and sprinted over to where Pinepaw was falling.

Pinepaw screamed out and flailed his paws in the air uselessly. Suddenly, something soft was underneath him and pain swallowed his body.

Pinepaw looked up to see a badger getting up on it's hind legs about to slam down onto the two apprentices. But Tigerheart shoved the creature out of the way and sent it running into the forest.

The dark brown tabby rushed over to a medicine cat in an apprentice's skin and to the leader's kit. "Pinepaw, Twigpaw, are you okay!?"

Twigpaw moaned painfully and Pinepaw tried to move except that he felt like something inside of him was broken. A pain in his torso hit him and he screeched in agony. Tigerheart gently took Pinepaw off of Twigpaw and examined Pinepaw.

"Something is broken," he concluded, "Twigpaw, help me bring Pinepaw back to camp."

Pinepaw stared at Twigpaw's sky blue eyes and grinned weakly, "You saved my life, if you weren't there to cushion my fall, I probably would have broken my neck and my life ended."

When he tried to stand up, fire shot up his front leg and he crumpled down to the ground. He winced hurtfully as Tigerheart and Twigpaw slowly brought him to camp.

"Twigpaw, you really did save Pinepaw's life."

He glanced at Tigerheart who stared on straight ahead. Pinepaw grinned weakly and thought about his fall. That wasn't just entirely an act, which the badger pushed him to a branch even higher than Pinepaw has planned to climb up to.

Hawkheart may be just a selfish soul inside of the flesh of an innocent tom in ShadowClan, but maybe Hawkheart isn't all that bad. Maybe without even thinking, he's becoming less and less selfish and is starting to form a heart for ShadowClan.


	20. Like A Leech

**Author's Note: So, let me know if you want to see Hawky's POV or a different character, anyone at all! :3**

Fawnpaw wrinkled her face into a frown as she spotted Tigerheart and Twigpaw together dragging Pinepaw between them. They brought Pinepaw into the medicine den and Fawnpaw helped lay her brother down in a soft nest.

She looked directly at Tigerheart and meowed, "Thank you, Tigerheart."

Tigerheart blinked then flicked his ear toward Twigpaw, "Don't thank me, thank Twigpaw. He saved your brother's life."

Fawnpaw fakely smiled and forced herself to say, "Then he must be destined to be a warrior."

"I agree." Replied Tigerheart nodding. He looked down at Twigpaw and said, "You can stay here with Pinepaw for the time being until the ceremonies for you and your brothers are announced." Then the dark brown tabby tom walked calmly out of the den.

Twigpaw turned to face Fawnpaw but before she could say anything, Pinepaw moaned painfully, "He really saved my life. While climbing a tree, a badger began to chase me and drove me to a branch that I didn't intend to go onto. Then the branch snapped and I would have broke my neck if Twigpaw didn't bother to stop fighting that badger."

Fawnpaw gasped and stared dumfounded at Twigpaw. This selfish tom bothered to save his brother, even while attacking a creature that could potentially end his new found life.

"I'm expecting a thanks." Twigpaw said smugly.

Fawnpaw laid back her ears and muttered, "Thank you."

"What was that? I can't hear you."

"I said thank you!" Snarled Fawnpaw as her fur bushed up. She turned her attention to Pinepaw and she gently began to run her paws over his torso. When he growled in pain, she knew that a rib was broken. She turned her eyes to Twigpaw and said in a low voice, "Now get out of the den while I take care of Twigpaw."

Twigpaw dipped his head and purred while walking out, "Will do, leader Fawnstar."

Fawnpaw flicked her ear then she reached her paw for the comfrey next to her tail. She began to chew them slowly as Pinepaw went in depth about the story of him, the badger, and Twigpaw.

Fawnpaw eventually spat out the wad of comfrey and rubbed it where the rib has broke. She blocked out his cries of pain as she put pressure on his chest.

Fawnpaw raised and eyebrow then set her paw on his leg. He bit back a shout of pain and she huffed, "I can't keep healing you all the time. What if you died from this stupid plan? Think about how that would have affected your siblings and your parents."

"I'm sorry, but it was-" he bit his lip while his sister applied the next few wadded up comfrey leaves on his leg. He let it go and went on, "It was for you, Fawnpaw."

The brown dappled she-cat gave a huge warm grin and gently nuzzled her brother, "Don't put yourself in peril like that again, please. It worries me."

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey," shouted Fallenstar sitting at the tangled roots of the huge pine tree, "Join beneath the High Branch for a Clan meeting."

Twigpaw's brothers rushed to surround Fallenstar, the cats that have followed them sitting behind. Fawnpaw sat next to Littlecloud as they watched the ceremony begin.

But a gnawing feeling wore on in her stomach, does Twigpaw really deserve to be a warrior? And Twigpaw as in Hawkheart; the deceiving, horrible, conniving, liar who has taken on a new body.

"Fawnpaw, relax." Purred Littlecloud stroking his tail down his apprentice's fur, flattening her spiked up pelt.

She grinned weakly as her mother went on, "Snowbird, report on Stempaw."

"He has excellently caught a large squirrel and two mice. When I attacked him, he fought back with ease, as if knowing I have easily followed him."

Fallenstar nodded warmly and then turned her head to Oakfur, "Tell me about Birchpaw."

Oakfur dipped his head, "Birchpaw's fighting and defense skills are rather weak, but what makes up for it is his determination and amazing skill in hunting, he has caught an amazing rabbit who has actually wandered into our territory. He even managed to catch two squirrels, a rather large haul."

Fawnpaw watched on nervously, as Fallenstar turned to Tigerheart, "And what about Twigpaw, Tigerheart?"

Tigerheart stood up and said clearly, "Unfortunately, I wasn't able to watch and address his hunting, however, I know he fights well, for a badger has chased down your son and Twigpaw bravely attacked it without hesitation. Twigpaw has even tore away from the fight as Pinepaw began to fall and Twigpaw got under him. Who knows what would have happened to your son if Twigpaw wasn't even there?"

Fallenstar stood up tall and meowed clearly as her tail lashed, "I have decided that all of these apprentices shall become the warriors they were meant to be. Birchpaw, Twigpaw, and Stempaw, please step forward."

The siblings all took a brave paw forward, as Fawnpaw watched from afar at Twigpaw's silent smirk. She began to lash her tail.

"Birchpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Birchpaw slowly blinked and dipped his head, "I promise, Fallenstar."

"Then Birchpaw, from this day on, you will be known as Birchwillow. May StarClan recognize your determination and skill in hunting."

She got down low to licked his shoulder. Then she beckoned Stempaw up.

"Stempaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do." He said without a trace of fear.

"Then from this day on, you shall be called Stemtalon. May StarClan see your excellent fighting ability and kind words."

Finally, Twigpaw walked up to her. He slowly blinked and flicked his ear.

"Twigpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" Then she winked, almost like she knew something.

Twigpaw stared at Fallenstar for a long time before saying very carefully, "I do, Fallenstar."

"Then by the power vested in me, I shall name you Twigtail." She smiled like StarClan has just shown down on her, "May StarClan recognize your intense loyalty and bravery in ShadowClan."

"Birchwillow, Stemtalon, Twigtail!" The Clan cried out, with Fawnpaw and her siblings joining in reluctantly.

"Tonight, you three shall hold a vigil. Clan dismissed." Then she lopped off of the roots and headed over to Oakfur for a review on the patrols.

Fawnpaw watched as Duckpaw sprinted up to him and meowed loudly, "Hi there, Twigtail! Oh, it's so nice to see that you're a huge hero in the Clan, you have risked your life twice."

Twigtail frowned and said softly, "We need to talk. Come on, let's head out to the woods."

Fawnpaw narrowed her eyes. She was originally planning to go out and check up on Snow, but she was much more curious about Duckpaw and Twigtail.

"Littlecloud," she said standing up, "I think I'm going to head out to gather some coltsfoot, our stock has entirely wilted."

"Good idea, Fawnpaw." He replied nodding. He turned tail and walked into the medicine den. Fawnpaw slowly blinked and raced after Duckpaw and Twigtail's scent trails.

Racing through the trees and leaping over rotting logs, she kept her eyes narrowed. Then she halted when she scented the two cats in a concentrated area.

Suddenly, Twigtail's voice rang out, "I know you like me, but the feeling in return has faded from me."

Fawnpaw crept forward and peered underneath a holly bush. Duckpaw stepped back a little as her olive eyes flashed, "B-But, you said that you really liked me back."

"The feelings aren't mutual." Twigtail hissed suddenly. Then he froze up when the wind shifted a little bit. He stuck his nose in the air and twitched his ear. He shook his head then went on, "If you really want to know why I don't like you back, just ask Fawnpaw why."

Duckpaw's eyes got wide and tears began to form in the corners of her eyes, "You're in a forbidden affair with her, aren't you? You made it so obvious that you loved her! I knew that you were just toying with me and my emotions. You are a dirty trickster, Twigtail. You may have saved my friend's life, but that doesn't mean you have my respect anymore."

"I'm trying not to hurt you." Replied Twigtail in a flat tone, "And I'm most definitely _not _in an affair with the medicine cat."

Duckpaw lowered her tail then turned around and sprinted through the thick darkness. But when the dark brown she-cat disappeared, Twigtail only smirked and said, "There's only one she-cat I love. Speaking of Fawnpaw, why don't you come out of those bushes, darling?"

Fawnpaw raised her head and crawled over the log. "Don't call me darling."

"Sure thing, honey." He cackled. He stood up and began to circle her, "Stay still for a little bit, Fawnpaw, because we got a problem."

Fawnpaw snorted and laid back her ears, "What is it?"

Twigtail stopped circling and he said in a sick voice, "Twigpaw must have really been in love with you because this body refuses to stomp out any feelings."

The dappled she-cat gasped and stared in shock at him as Twigtail went on, "As I, Hawkheart, took over this body, these wretched feelings that Twig_paw_ had for you remains. Now I must admit that this body has forced me to…" he gagged and narrowed his eyes, "it has forced me to _love_ you."

Fawnpaw blushed and dropped her tail, "A-Are you trying to say that you love me? But I'm a medicine cat."

"How can I _not_ say it's such a shame you aren't a warrior?" He purred stroking his tail across her chin. Fawnpaw glared at him and didn't push away the tail as he smirked darkly.

"You are sick, Hawkheart. Why don't you just go along with Duckpaw?"

"Because Twigpaw only wanted to not hurt Duckpaw, but deep down inside, he never loved her. I can see what he has thought about everyone in this form. I still harbor the feelings he has locked inside." He lowered his tail and meowed, "I can see he wanted to become a leader, even better than Fallenstar. He loved his brothers dearly, and he was so much in love with you. In that disgusting pursuit of love, he only saw Pinepaw and Flamepaw as obstacles to get to you."

Fawnpaw turned her head away and hissed in a furious tone, "But I hate you, I don't have remote feelings of love for you. I may feel pity."

"Pity?"

"You wanted to live so badly you had to resort to tricking a young, naïve cat like me." She looked at him, "I pity you. You want to get back to your home of WindClan, and see if anyone has changed." Then she smiled weakly and got a little closer to him, "I feel no love, but I feel pity for you."

"Don't feel sorry for me." Twigtail said coldly, "I just wanted you to know that this love is feeding off of me like a parasite."

Fawnpaw swirled around and slowly set her paws down onto the marshy ground, "It's your problem, not mine."


	21. It's Officially Over, Darling

Flamepaw had to comfort the now heartbroken Duckpaw who sat crying on his shoulder.

"That was cruel of him." Said Flamepaw in a hushed tone, "Hawkheart is truly a monster."

Duckpaw stopped crying for a minute before muttering softly, "H-Hawkheart?"

Flamepaw's eyes got wide as he quickly corrected himself, "I mean Twigtail. I meant Twigtail."

Just then, Fawnpaw entered the apprentice den and her sleek, developed figure was silhouetted by the moonlight. She raised and eyebrow and meowed, "Pinepaw wants to see you, Flamey."

Flamepaw pat Duckpaw's back a few more times before purring, "Go talk to Plumpaw, she's your sister."

Plumpaw slowly nodded and walked over to Plumpaw who sat down talking to Stemtalon at the entrance of the warriors den. Flamepaw watched as Fallenstar headed up to them and said that it was time for Stemtalon to go hold his vigil. Stemtalon nodded and ran over to the entrance of the camp.

"Hurry up, Flamepaw." Hissed Fawnpaw. The siblings together trotted to the medicine den. In the back sat Pinepaw who looked rather annoyed and his tail tip twitching furiously.

"Flamepaw," Pinepaw started, "I need you to go talk to Swallowpaw at the half-bridge at the greenleaf twolegplace tonight and tell her my predicament.

Flamepaw slowly nodded and replied, "Sure thing, we don't want to worry her."

Fawnpaw lowered her ears and averted her gaze, "I still don't approve of this forbidden relationship."

"We're only friends." Snapped Pinepaw, "Flamepaw thinks it's going to end badly anyway."

Flamepaw rolled his eyes, "Don't worry, Fawnpaw. I trust Pinepaw that it's going to be perfectly fine."

* * *

Later that night as he slipped past Birchwillow and Stemtalon while Twigtail guarded the back of the camp, Flamepaw ran to the greenleaf twolegplace.

When he sat down on the dock, he stared out at the lake, listening to the calm water lap at the beaches.

He heard a quick, high pitched sneeze and he turned around to see a very dark grey she-cat that looked almost blue, her paws were ringed with white along with her tail. He smiled and asked, "Are you Swallowpaw?"

She nodded slowly and ran over to him. She looked around and meowed, "Where's Pinepaw?"

"He sent me here to tell you what happened. Pinepaw was chased down by a badger and he fell out a tall tree. So he broke one of his ribs and his front paw."

Swallowpaw tilted her head, "Oh, that's too bad. How long will it take for him to heal?"

"Well, tomorrow is the next gathering. After that, wait until new moon, he should be fine by then."

Swallowpaw grinned worriedly, "Thanks Flamepaw. I can tell you really care about your brothers. At least you have siblings to care about. All of mine have died at an incredibly early age."

"I understand that." He dipped his head and turned around, "It's about time I head back to ShadowClan. I'll give Pinepaw your condolences."

Swallowpaw smiled and nodded. Then she turned around and began to walk back to RiverClan.

Flamepaw nodded in return and turned around to head back to ShadowClan. He let the pebbles of the lake shore roll underneath his paws. She shuddered as if they were beetles.

The quiet sound of the rippling water turned his attention to the lakeshore. Suddenly, he noticed his paws felt much slicker than if it was just water. However, he couldn't detect what it was in the darkness. Flamepaw walked on in dead silence. Suddenly, he heard a quiet cry.

"Don't you know how many seasons ago that was? We aren't even mates anymore!"

Flamepaw lowered his ears and stared across the beach at two undiscernable silhouettes. But he could tell by the scent that they were ShadowClanners, and their figures pointed to one being male and one female.

The she-cat stared at him before saying, "But I think I still love you. We never officially ended it, did we?"

"Of course we ended it!" The tom snapped, "You were just too dull to notice me dropping the hints. I even told you up front that I don't want to be with you anymore."

"But you know you just cheated on me with another tom's mate? They are happy and they love each other! What are you trying to do? Are you purposefully trying to separate Kinkfur and Scorchfur?"

The tom stepped back as the she-cat went on,

"They have a beautiful family of three lovely warriors and each other. Why would you just go behind your friend's back and… and…"

Flamepaw narrowed his eyes, and in the thin moonlight, he was able to see that the she-cat's pelt was different shades of grey on a white pelt and the tom was dark brown with even darker patches. Flamepaw gasped realizing that it was Toadfoot and Ivytail.

"I moved on, Ivytail." Toadfoot growled.

"With a cat that already has a mate?"

Toadfoot was quiet for a while before turning around. Then he gasped silently, "It's your fault those kits died. I hate you so much, and we weren't compatible anyway. I just want to kill you."

Ivytail's pelt fluffed up as she hissed, "Come at me then."

Without a moment's hesitation, Toadfoot leaped directly at Ivytail and pinned her down. They thrashed about on the lakeshore for a while as Flamepaw watched in horror. He knew he should probably head back to camp and tell Scorchfur and Fallenstar what's going on back at the lakeshore. But something kept him rooted to the pebbles underneath him.

His green eyes got wide when Toadfoot thrust Ivytail's face into the lake. Burbles for help erupted in the water and she thrashed around attempting to get out of his grasp.

She forced her head back up but then Toadfoot threw it back down into the water. Suddenly, he raised his claws and slashed them across her neck. Blood pulsed out of her neck as she burbled for breath and life.

Toadfoot let her go and dropped her body into the water. She coughed feebly and then looked up at Flamepaw. Their eyes locked for a horrible moment as Flamepaw looked away in shame and sprinted back to the camp.

His paws thumped against the ground and his breath was raspy. He glanced over his shoulder to see Toadfoot staring back at him with those dark green eyes glinting in the light, glimmering with plead and horror.

Flamepaw stared back at the path set ahead of him, leaping over logs and tripping over roots and dips in the path.

"F-Fallenstar!" He cried out.

The dark brown tabby she-cat with cream chest and muzzle emerged from her den curled into the roots of a tree. She looked at her son and rushed over to him. "Flamepaw? Is everything alright?"

He gasped and looked over his shoulder before gasping, "I saw Toadfoot murder Ivytail at the lake!"

Fallenstar stared in shock before she closed her eyes for a moment then opening them again, "Did you hear him say anything before she was killed?"

Flamepaw lowered his ears and averted his gaze, "I don't want to be a tattle tail."

She smiled weakly and replied, "You aren't being a tattle tail if you are telling me something that is very serious like the death of a Clanmate."

Flamepaw looked away altogether and didn't say anything. He would tell her any other day, but he was too afraid to say anything else. Fallenstar nodded and stood up tall, "I will confront him as soon as I see him. For now, just go to the apprentice for the night with Plumpaw and Duckpaw." She sighed, "If Ivytail is really dead, I'll just have to assign Plumpaw a new mentor in the morning."

Flamepaw waved his tail and sprinted to the apprentice den and saw Duckpaw sitting in the corner still crying over Twigtail. Plumpaw was now rasping her tongue over her sister's pelt and resting her head on her shoulder.

Flamepaw walked over to them and nudged Duckpaw. The dark brown she-cat spun around and stared at Flamepaw. Then she sniffled and walked over to her nest with Plumpaw following. Plumpaw stopped for a moment and looked at Flamepaw.

"Thanks for talking to my sister earlier today. It's nice that you care about her."

"No problem. Twigtail has… changed, hasn't he?"

She hesitated before nodding. She looked out to her the heaving shoulders of her sister. Then Plumpaw said quietly, "She needs a new love to fix her. You wouldn't happen to be the tom for her would you?"

Flamepaw blushed and growled quietly, "No, I do not have my eye set on romance anytime soon."

She sighed and wrapped her tail over her paws. "That's funny, I thought you… Nevermind." She looked away then stood up to trot over to her sister, curling up beside Duckpaw as they shared their sisterly warmth together.

Flamepaw watched and he curled up as well. He narrowed his eyes at the wall and thought about how selfish Twigtail or Hawkheart was. Hawkheart has just stolen the body of a good cat who cared so much about Fawnpaw that he has sacrificed his life for her. Duckpaw has even made it obvious she had feelings for Twig_paw_, and he just went along with it. Then Twig_tail_ crushed her feelings and walked away.

Outside, he heard Fallenstar talking to Toadfoot and commanding him to come with her into her den. He glanced out and spotted Mistfall and Kinkfur standing together. They glanced at each other and sighed before walking to the nursery.

Wait, Mistfall is going into the nursery? Does that mean she's expecting kits? And Kinkfur has followed her, pointing to signals either that she's expecting Toadfoot or Scorchfur's kits.

Flamepaw laid down and covered his face with his paws.

Why is his life so complicated?


	22. I Appear to Have Lost My Mind

Littlecloud pressed his paw up against Mistfall's belly and smiled. "Well, Mistfall. It seems as though you are expecting kits?"

Pinepaw grinned at her and asked politely, "Is it okay if I ask who the father is?"

Mistfall blushed and gave a tiny smile as she whispered, "Stoatleap." Then she swished her tail and purred, "He's such a great cat to father the kits. He's brave, and kind, and amazing."

"At least you got Kinkfur to accompany you in the nursery." Said Littlecloud signaling with his tail she can stand up now, "She has told me that she's expecting kits again."

Mistfall nodded at Pinepaw and Fawnpaw. "Do you think I'll be able to attend the gathering tonight?"

Littlecloud thought for a moment before saying, "You shouldn't need to worry. But Kinkfur won't be able to come since she's been pregnant for longer than you."

Just then, Stoatleap came into the den and quickly nuzzled his mate. Then he looked at Littlecloud and then back at Mistfall, "What's the word?"

"I'm a queen now, Stoatleap." She said proudly, "And you are the father of these lucky kits."

Stoatleap grinned and guided her outside and looking over his shoulder back at Littlecloud and giving a smile so wide he could have cracked his face in two. When they exit the den, Pinepaw glanced down at his paw as Littlecloud rewrapped the bandages.

Fawnpaw opened her mouth like she was going to say something, but Littlecloud slapped her mouth with his tail, "No, Fawnpaw. You aren't going to head out into the woods today. You've been working to hard. Besides, you got a few warriors to teach about herbs." Then he turned to smirk at her, "You were lazy last time you supposed to teach them."

Fawnpaw huffed then left the den to organize a learning session about herbs. Littlecloud chuckled to himself and slashed apart the remaining leaves on Pinepaw's leg. He stepped back and licked his own chest, "Your sister sure is hardworking. She hardly ever wants to sit down and learn. I guess she simply prefers to just go outside and learn things herself."

Pinepaw glanced out at the entrance and meowed absently, "I guess so."

Littlecloud nudged Pinepaw and purred, "Try to take a few steps."

Pinepaw looked at Littlecloud like he could possibly have bees in his brains. Then Pinepaw sighed and stood up wobbily. Pain spiked up his paw and he crumpled back down to the ground. Before either cat could respond to his actions, Fallenstar cried out loudly for a Clan meeting.

Pinepaw stretched out his head to face the gathering cats while Littlecloud walked out of the den.

Fallenstar blinked and said in a dangerous, low voice, "There is a murderer among us. And he has murdered his mate without a shred of remorse."

Pinepaw lowered his ears as she went on.

"For the act of murder in cold blood and wedging himself between a mated pair, this tom must be exiled from ShadowClan. Toadfoot, I am sorry to say, but please step forward."

The brown and black streaked tom lashed his tail and took a paw forward. Then he suddenly snapped out, "I object, I have my reasons and I plan to defend my actions."

Fallenstar nodded, "Then do so." Then she smirked and wrapped her tail over her paws. Pinepaw ducked his head, almost feeling ashamed that his mother is satisfied with Toadfoot ending up to defend himself.

"This is a stupid excuse, I know. But I have lost myself. Some primal instincts took control of me and… and there was K-Kinkfur…"

"Why did you murder Ivytail?"

The Clan murmured around them and Fallenstar had to hush them. Toadfoot dipped his head low and said very slowly, "I… I don't know… why. She was standing there and we had a huge fight at the lakefront. Fallenstar, we have already spoken about this last night." He raised his muzzle and screamed, "I-Ivytail didn't… I didn't mean to kill her. It just happened…"

Fallenstar stared down at him, and even though it was obvious she was hiding warmth and pity for him, she hid it with a mask of frost. Pinepaw was disappointed she had to hide her feelings. Did all leaders have to hide their inner emotions?

Fallenstar stepped down from the swirling branches of the tree and meowed loudly, "Toadfoot… I don't want to have to exile you. But in any other circumstance, I have to. I will not tolerate any murderers living in ShadowClan, only a fox length away from my den. I have to exile you, Toadfoot."

"Wait!"

She looked down at Plumpaw who stood up tall, her pelt sleek as always, but her tail fluffed up. She cleared her throat and the brown and white tabby said smoothly, "Has he broken any codes? The only thing he has done is murder her. I believe it is perfectly liable for one cat to have many mates."

A grey tom glared at Plumpaw and snarled, "What are you talking about!? I won't let any tom touch my beloved Kinkfur!" He swung his head to his tabby furred mate and asked quickly, "Have you voluntarily let Toadfoot be with you on your own accord?"

Kinkfur, however, was totally silent, her head lowered in shame and her tail dragging. She grit her teeth and moved her head away from her mate. Kinkfur refused to answer her mate's question.

Scorchfur whipped back to Fallenstar, "You can't just let Toadfoot get away with these crimes!"

Toadfoot collapsed onto the ground and cried out, "I'm sorry…. I'm s-sorry…"

Fallenstar stared at them for a very long time then nodded at Plumpaw calmly. She took a deep breath and meowed, "I understand you are all waiting with bated breath what shall happen to Toadfoot."

Toadfoot kept his gaze fixed onto his paws. He screwed his eyes shut and swished his tail across the dirt.

The cream and brown tabby leader laid back her only ear and then declared, "Toadfoot will hunt for the Clan for the next two moons."

Toadfoot's amber eyes got wide as he shouted, "W-What!? I can't support an entire Clan all on my own!"

"That's why I will help you." She said in a soft voice. "I will let Stoatleap take place in Duckpaw's training. Also, we need a new cat to take Plumpaw's place as her mentor." She dipped her head to Scorchfur, "Will you take Plumpaw as your apprentice."

The grey tom's yellow eyes dimmed as he replied in a flat voice, "I-I'm sorry. I can't. I will not bear to…" Then his shoulders heaved in sobs and he turned around from the gathering, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Then he crawled into the warriors den.

Kinkfur stood up and mewed, "I will. I may be expecting kits, but I have enough energy to train Plumpaw."

Fallenstar smiled weakly, "Of course. You can train her up until the last minute." Then she raised her voice, "Clan dismissed."

Pinepaw slowly blinked and stared down at his paws when the cats separated. He swore that it seemed like this Clan is beginning to fall apart as cats turning on each other and hearts hardening.

He rested his head on his paws and looked up at the top of the den to see Plumpaw slowly walking into the den.

The brown tabby laid down next to Pinepaw and rested her head on his shoulders. Without warning, she heaved into sobs and Pinepaw gasped. He rubbed his tail across her spine and shut his eyes.

"P-Pinepaw…" she spluttered, "Ivytail is dead and Fallenstar just gave me a new mentor like it's nothing. No one has heed my words. Am I taken for granted?"

Pinepaw exhaled and meowed, "It's fine, Plumpaw. I listened to you."

She raised her head and didn't show a trace of emotion. But her eyes showed a huge grin.

* * *

When Pinepaw woke up, it was the middle of the night with full moon sailing above the rest of the Clan. He sighed and remembered that Fallenstar has taken her Clan out for the gathering. In his face was a large black bird with huge beady eyes with leaves in its beak.

Pinepaw took a long time to register that a bird was sitting in front of him, ready for the hunt.

"Pinepaw!" Cried out Fawnpaw rushing toward his side from the back of the den. She bit her lip and quickly nuzzled the raven before taking the herbs from the beak. Gently, she waved her paw and shooed the bird away.

Pinepaw shook his head in amazement what his sister has just done. He faced Fawnpaw and whispered quickly, "Fawnpaw, are you mad? That bird was right in front of you, why didn't you hunt it?"

"Because I take care of her." She muttered. She perked her ears and gasped, "Please don't tell Fallenstar or Littlecloud about this! They'd murder Snow."

"Snow?" Asked Pinepaw tilting his head.

Fawnpaw blushed and went on, "I named her Snow because I found her injured in leaf-bare."

"Why did she wander into the medicine den?"

"I trained her to fetch herbs." She pawed at the herbs and purred, "And it turns out she grabbed dock leaves."

Pinepaw lashed his tail, "Fawnpaw, our brother has witnessed a murder, I have found out you care for prey, and we all know that you have brought a dead cat back to life. We all have dark paths to follow, and I'm worried it's going to get into our heads."

"What about Twigtail?" She asked carefully, "He's just a crazy tom who hates ShadowClan."

"What about him?" Pinepaw replied, "He's not important, now that he's hiding under a sweet mask, he can't do any harm."

Fawnpaw narrowed her eyes and slapped her paw on her brother's, "We have to stay silent about all of this."

Pinepaw lowered his ears and closed his eyes, "Sure. Just… let me sleep off the shock for a bit…"


	23. Bloody Wings

**Author's Note: Yuss…. TWIGTAIL'S POV! Luv ya'll.**

**Little extra note here, remember Swift? Well, in my amazing book of challenges, I included his story in the third chapter. And just in case you missed the last note, I made Hawkheart's story as well in chapter two.**

**So check the Book of Challenges a lot because I'll be including side character's stories over there across the pond. I'm planning to do one about Plumpaw so keep your eyes open!**

Twigtail walked back into the camp and stole a glance at Fawnpaw who was helping Pinepaw out of the den. When Fawnpaw's brown eyes caught Twigtail's, the brown tom gasped and looked away.

Suddenly, he felt a nudge from his side to face Dewdrop. She was staring smugly at him as she purred, "Admit it, Twigtail. You still like Fawnpaw." Before Twigtail could respond, she purred and went on, "Unfortunately, she's a medicine cat, and she's firm set on that. Don't even tempt her with your sweet looks."

Twigtail averted his blue eyes and lowered his ears, "I don't like her."

Stemtalon who stood nearby rolled his eyes. "Sure thing."

Twigtail was still unsure about this body and life. At first when he leaped out of StarClan and soaked himself into that brown cat's body, he didn't know what he'd get himself into. He had no idea that this cat already loved Fawnpaw with all his heart, and he didn't know that he felt so strongly against Fallenstar's choices.

Hawkheart didn't know anymore.

Twigtail felt like sharp claws was being dragged through the back of his head. He turned around to see Flamepaw glaring at him.

He turned to see Oakfur patting his side with a tail, "You should get some sleep."

Twigtail sighed sadly and nodded as he rushed over to the warrior's den. Once inside, he nested down away from the rest of the warriors. Before he shut his eyes to sleep, he heard Oakfur's voice.

"Fallenstar, are you sure about hunting with Toadfoot right now? You just got back from the gathering."

She yawned and replied softly, "Sure, whatever. It's not a big deal, I promise. I'll get a nap worth nine moons once I get back. Toadfoot and I will bring back a nice fat haul." She twitched her tail at the brown and black streaked tom and meowed, "About time we head out."

Toadfoot nodded and the two cats walked out calmly through the entrance.

Twigtail twitched his whiskers and shut his eyes, begging himself to fly away with sleep and dream of the sweet moors of WindClan.

* * *

"Hurry up, Hawkpaw!" Cried out a pinkish grey she-cat with dazzling blue eyes, "If you don't hurry up, that worm-pelt named Sandpaw is going to dig up from underneath you!"

Twigtail looked down at his paws to see that he was unsaturated muddy brown with splatters of grey. He was now dreaming of when he was Hawkpaw.

Twigtail smiled and raced across the moors with his friend, Heatherpaw, beside him. Her sweet laughter made him grin wildly as the wind ripped through his fur.

"Hawkheart, turn around and face me."

Suddenly, Heatherpaw disappeared like dust and he whirled around to face a very dark brown –almost black- with bright, crystal blue eyes. Twigtail-now Hawkheart- faced the smaller brown tom and he smirked.

"I'm Twigpaw, you stole my destiny and emotions." Snarled the cat.

Hawkheart swirled around the smaller tom and purred, "Twiggy, I did steal your destiny, of course I did. Would you feel indifferent if I told you I had some feelings of… let's say _passion_ and sick _desire _directed toward that beautiful she-cat named Fawnpaw."

"You're the sick one." Snarled Twigpaw, "And don't you dare touch a single hair on her pelt! She's a medicine cat, and don't you to how old you are. You're basically ancient. I mean, look at how faded you are; nearly completely transparent."

Hawkheart glanced down at his paws to see only a thin outline of his figure and colors. His smile was wiped away.

Twigpaw was hesitant before he said, "J-Just… at least take care of Pinepaw and Fawnpaw. Those two need to stay away from Flamepaw. He may seem warm and cuddly now, but Blackstar and Flametail has warned me that he's slowly going mad. He has a desire so deep to protect his Clan, he'll go to great lengths to do so."

"Take care of Fawnpaw, check." He raised an eyebrow, "Be guilt tripped about your body… fail. Let's call that a fail."

Twigpaw hissed and stepped closer to him, "Protect Fawnpaw, but don't stay in love with her. And don't go snooping around my feelings either, it's disgusting."

Hawkheart turned around and rushed across the moors as he cried out, "I can't help it. It's a shame she isn't a warrior."

* * *

"Get up, you lazy lout." Hissed Ferretclaw. His poked his claws into Twigtail's ribcage and he narrowed his eyes, "We have a sunhigh patrol to catch with Flamepaw and Sparrowfang."

Twigtail growled in reply and he heaved himself up. He walked out of the den and looked toward the entrance where Sparrowfang and Flamepaw stood waiting.

Twigtail and Ferretclaw quickly joined and they walked out into the forest. Almost immediately, Twigtail caught the scent of a raven. He looked up to the sky and curiously, he saw that the raven had a clump of herbs in it's talons.

"What is it, Twigtail?" Asked Sparrowfang. Sparrowfang glanced up to the sky and gasped. "What in the name of StarClan is that raven doing with those herbs?"

Twigtail stared at it and shook his head. "It's probably not important. Most likely building a nest out of it."

Flamepaw nodded. "Are we going to patrol the ThunderClan border or what?"

Ferretclaw rolled his eyes and twitched his tail and began walking toward the ThunderClan border. Twigtail occasionally glanced at Flamepaw, only to receive a cold glare that obviously ready, _'Mess this up and I mess you up.'_

Finally when the stench was overpowering, Ferretclaw looked around and darted across the border. He smirked and marked a bush. Twigtail twitched his ear when he bounded back.

Sparrowfang narrowed his eyes, "Fallenstar didn't say to mark over the borders."

"That border was ours in the first place." Ferretclaw pointed out, "Those stinking ThunderClanners have moved their marks past our border."

Flamepaw flicked his whisker. "You can't go past the borders, Ferretclaw."

"Who are you to command your mentor?" Huffed Ferretclaw.

Flamepaw remained silent after that. The cats have marked their borders and began walking back to camp. But the stench of the raven grew even more powerful to the point where it filled up Twigtail's nostrils.

"You look bugged by something." Meowed Sparrowfang, "What's going on?"

Twigtail lowered his head. "I smell a raven. It's clouding my senses at this point."

"I smell it too." Piped up Flamepaw. He lowered his body and smiled, "Let me hunt it, Ferretclaw."

Ferretclaw sighed then nodded. Flamepaw swished his tail and darted off to the scent. Twigtail followed after Flamepaw into the shadows, squinting his eyes.

Slowly, the raven was mixed in with herbs and another sickly familiar scent. It was a scent that he hated to love, and that scent was of a medicine cat apprentice named Fawnpaw.

"Fawnpaw!" Flamepaw cried out. Twigtail ran to the clearing and gasped when he saw Fawnpaw wrapping her paw protectively over the raven.

"Go away, Flamepaw! Leave Snow alone!"

"It's a raven." Flamepaw growled, "It's just prey."

The raven cried out in fear and began to shiver. Twigtail burst into the clearing with the rest of the patrol following after. Fawnpaw's ears laid back and she curled her tail around the jet black raven.

Ferretclaw growled, "I always wondered why you returned smelling like a raven with no blood on you."

Twigtail smiled and walked up to her. He smiled darkly and purred, "You know you can't defy nature. You've done that twice now, my dear Fawnpaw."

"Get away from me." She breathed angrily.

"You're going to be punished for this, Fawnpaw." Said Flamepaw, "You can't protect prey! Don't you remember the part of the warrior code that specifically says that prey is to be caught and eaten?"

The raven cried out loudly and fluttered its wings slightly. Fawnpaw shushed it and glared at the entire patrol. Twigtail knew her heart was beating fast, he was close enough to hear it. She was scared too, as a tiny drip of sweat slid down her face. She was one the verge on tears. She was angry, upset, scared, and worried.

Ferretclaw nodded at Fawnpaw and crouched down low, "I didn't want to do this. Sparrowfang, make sure you get the bird. Keep it _alive_ and bring it back to camp." He shrugged, "Sorry, Fawnpaw."

Then both cats leaped at once. Twigtail watched as Ferretclaw rolled on top of Fawnpaw and kept her pushed down, even needing to unsheathe his claws and dig them into her flesh. Sparrowfang leaped forward and wrapped his jaws around the bird's neck, making sure to not kill it. It fluttered around but it eventually settled down, scared for its own being.

"Take it back to camp." Commanded Ferretclaw. He began to walk through the forest, and the whole time, Twigtail thought he would be satisfied to watch a ShadowClan cat suffer emotionally.

But for some reason he felt bad.

When the bird was thrown into the middle of the camp, Ferretclaw pinned down the back feathers to prevent flight.

Fallenstar walked out of the nursery and she stared at the terrified bird. She frowned and sighed. "All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the High Branch for a Clan meeting."

Cats confusingly surrounded the bird and Fallenstar. Fallenstar stood firm on her branch and narrowed her eyes at her only daughter.

"Fawnpaw, why would you protect something you are meant to catch?"

Twigtail glanced at the dappled brown she-cat and she sniffled. "I'm sorry. But the bird was injured in the snow. I couldn't help but heal it."

"In the snow?" Then she blinked and nodded, "I see, you have been caring for this raven since leaf-bare."

"And that raven's name is Snow." Snapped Fawnpaw, her pelt now bristling.

Fallenstar smiled, "Alright then. Snow is prey, we are meant to hunt prey. Don't you understand that, Fawnpaw?"

Fawnpaw tried to dart over to Snow, but Twigtail blocked her. He forced a dark grin at her and she glared coldly. She stared back up at her mother.

"As punishment, we are to murder the bird in front of you."

Fawnpaw's strong gaze faltered, revealing wide eyes on the verge of crying. Her tail madly twitching. Suddenly, she cried out, "Let Snow live! Y-You can kill me if you want to! Kill me, just don't murder Snow…"

Twigtail glanced at the struggling bird and replied, "You don't mean murder. You mean hunt."

Fallenstar hung her head, "I'm sorry, darling. But this is the only way to show you that birds are meant to be hunted." She flicked her tail at Oakfur and went on, "You must kill it, Oakfur. I cannot bring myself to."

"Then Fallenstar is weak." Hissed Dawnpelt.

Fallenstar didn't respond to Dawnpelt. She calmly watched as Oakfur stepped up to the bird and raised his claws.

"Please, don't kill her!"

Oakfur sighed and shared a pitied glance with her. "Sorry, Fawnpaw. It's for the best." Then he slammed down his claws on the raven and it cried out in pain. He then dragged his claws across the bird's neck causing blood to spill.

"S-Stop it!" Fawnpaw shrieked. Twigtail held her back with the help of Dewdrop.

Oakfur proceeded to bite down on the bird's neck, at first slowly, then forcibly. The bird screamed in pain and fluttered its wings.

Somehow, Twigtail let his guard down and Fawnpaw burst past him, breaking loose. Tears spilling out of her eyes, she shoved Oakfur, but only succeeded in bouncing off of him, being much smaller than him.

She stretched out her claws and touched her paw pad to the bird's feathers.

"Kill it." Said Fallenstar.

Oakfur nodded then finally snapped Snow's neck. Blood everywhere and its life force finally stop pumping.

The Clan stared down grimly at what's left of the bird. Twigtail actually felt paralyzed.

"Dispose of the body." The leader said, "Clan dismissed."

The Clan tore apart as Oakfur and Sparrowfang lifted up the torn apart body.

"Give me Snow!" Screamed Fawnpaw, "Give her back!" But the two cats ignored her pleas. She was left as a sobbing mess in the center of camp. Twigtail didn't know what got into him, but something in his heart cracked.

Twigtail realized he's getting too attached to ShadowClan. Especially Fawnpaw. He walked up to her and let his shadow drape over her sobbing shoulders. She pressed her paw into a blood puddle and tears slid off of her face onto the blood stained ground.

"Fawnpaw,"

She didn't turn around.

Twigtail cleared his throat and said quietly, "I'm sorry."

She whirled around and sniffled. It took a moment to register, but she slowly stood up and rested her head on his shoulder. She continued to sob and she said almost incoherently, "It's okay, Twigtail. At least this proves you have a heart."

Twigtail closed his eyes and as she sat down, he gently pat her back. It dawned on him that he is beginning to regain his emotions. He is slowly becoming Hawkheart of WindClan once more, when he was bullied and was friends with Heatherstar as apprentices. He is starting to care about others once more, and that mask of a cold heart was starting to slowly dissolve.

Then she choked out a sob and whispered, "Hawkheart, make sure I don't die of a broken heart tonight."


	24. Save Me From This Void

**Author's Note: UNEXPECTED. You hate me, don't you? :)**

A moon has passed. A full moon of pain, and suffering, and grievance. Pinepaw healed and started to see Swallowpaw again. Flamepaw goes back to taking care of ShadowClan to the best of his abilities, but Fawnpaw is left alone.

She has fallen into the pit of depression. All she ever thought about was Snow and her beautiful black wings. Pain engulfed her every day, and Fawnpaw would welcome death and take the pain away. It was a quiet torture, making her suffer for violating the precise laws of nature. Bringing a cat back to life and taking care of her prey.

This depression has swallowed her whole, and she couldn't breath. She couldn't sleep either. Nor could she eat. Littlecloud brought her the food and water she needed to live, and he quietly shared to empathize with her. But he couldn't succeed.

More pain filled that bird shaped void in her heart. Cold, empty, sorrowful pain. The pain wouldn't end, and she didn't know when it started. It felt like she was born with this pain and she lived with it all her life. Fawnpaw became emotionally crippled.

One day, a body was thrown into the den. It was a very pale brown tabby she-cat with spiky fur and shut eyes. Fawnpaw stared at the body before asking blankly, "Who is it?"

Littlecloud faced her and replied while he rubbed lavender in her fur, "It's Kinkfur."

Fawnpaw slowly blinked and took a pawful of the lavender. "How'd she die?"

"Suicide. She died expecting Toadfoot's kits and she couldn't handle Scorchfur ignoring her. She couldn't swallow that fact that she was involuntarily expecting a different tom's kits. I guess she had many other reasons as well."

"But how'd she die?"

Littlecloud was quiet before saying solemnly, "She found our stock of deathberries. We keep them in the far back of the den. I found her dead this morning, like she snuck in at night."

Fawnpaw stopped rubbing the lavender. It took a bit to register the fact that it was Fawnpaw's fault for not keeping watch.

She blankly remembers Kinkfur slipping past her eyesight. Fawnpaw didn't say hello or even greet her. Fawnpaw only blatantly ignored her. But Fawnpaw couldn't choke out the words to go on about how it's her fault. She didn't want to take responsibility.

The only thing she thought about was Snow's broken body. _If I pushed Oakfur a little harder then I would have gotten to her._

"Fawnpaw," said Littlecloud sternly. She looked up at him slowly, "I am a very old cat, and death isn't a far away consideration anymore. Me dying is a very real thing, and it's going to happen soon. You are the next medicine cat in line, and you need to take responsibility. You need to pull your dappled head out of the clouds and take charge. You are grieving over a _bird _that never spoke for StarClan's sake."

She stared at him and muttered, "I'm sorry."

"Pull your act together." Littlecloud hissed in a sharp voice. Fawnpaw bolted her gaze to him. She shook her tail and stood straight. The pale brown sleek tabby tom blinked his tired blue eyes and mewed, "I you don't move on, this Clan is going to whirl into chaos."

Fawnpaw laid back her ears and said a second time, "I'm sorry, Littlecloud."

He snorted, "About time you apologize."

"I-I'll try to work harder. From now on, I'm going to distract myself from Snow."

In truth, that made her want to cry.

Littlecloud grinned a little bit and purred roughly, "That's a good Fawnpaw. We should probably drag Kinkfur's body into the clearing." He sighed, "A shame too. She would have bore healthy kits."

She nodded in agreement and lightly pushed her body out of the medicine den and into the clearing. Toadfoot and Scorchfur stared at her beautiful form, now cold and dead. Sparrowfang, Dewdrop, and Mistfall sadly walked over to her body. But Toadfoot stayed back. He turned around and headed back into the warrior's den.

"He feels guilty." Concluded Pinepaw standing next to his sister. He looked at her and purred weakly, "You haven't been out in a moon. About time we see you."

"Y-You didn't tell them about Snow, did you?"

Pinepaw smiled and nuzzled his sister. "I didn't tell them, I swear. I was as horrified as you when Snow died."

Fawnpaw smiled. "I believe you, Pinepaw. What matters now is that we grieve for Kinkfur."

"Death is too common in ShadowClan." Said Pinepaw sadly, "First Pinenose, then Ivytail, and then Kinkfur. There has to be more, but there are too many deaths."

"And I'm the one who has to prepare their bodies for the vigils."

Fallenstar stepped up to Kinkfur's body and meowed in a low voice, "Kinkfur's sudden suicide has shocked us all. She was a brave, kind warrior that will always be missed. May she rest in StarClan."

Fawnpaw shut her eyes and thought about her. The way she smiled so brightly at her kits that have grown into warriors. Her kind, soothing words were almost contagious.

Scorchfur, Sparrowfang, Dewdrop, and Mistfall took it the hardest. Stoatleap sat with Mistfall, their heads touching.

"About time the mole came out."

Fawnpaw looked to her right and spotted Twigtail sitting with her. He raised an eyebrow. "I just wanted to tell Pinepaw a little secret that Fallenstar has decided on tomorrow. Just a little birdie told me. But I just so happened to see the beautiful she-cat named Fawnpaw."

The stairs began to sail above their heads. She stared at Twigtail's sleek body with envy as her fur was ragged and matted. She knew that Pinepaw noticed the major differences between Twigtail and Fawnpaw, so he said, "Want me to groom you, Fawnpaw?"

Fawnpaw wanted to tell him that she can groom herself just fine, but that would be a rather large lie. So she meekly nodded and let her brother groom her knots in her dappled brown fur.

Without warning, she felt another tongue join in on her fur. She gasped and turned to see Twigtail stroking his tongue down her back. She would tell him off, but was too tired and exasperated to care.

She closed her eyes and mumbled, "Thanks…"

"No problem, beautiful." Said Twigtail winking. She didn't bother to roll her eyes at that. She didn't realize how tired she was until then. She was tempted to go to sleep. Her eyelids hung low and her tail stopped twitching.

Pinepaw noticed how tired she was. He gently licked her ear and meowed, "You should get some sleep, Fawnpaw. You look exhausted."

Twigtail stopped grooming her and he averted his gaze.

She slowly blinked and smiled, "Okay, I'll go do that." So she turned around and dragged her weary paws back into the den.

"I'll get her some prey." Huffed Twigtail. She looked over her shoulder and spotted Pinepaw glaring at him. Twigtail raised his tail defensively and replied, "What? I'm just trying to help out."

"Keep it that way." Then Pinepaw trotted off to join Kinkfur's vigil.

Fawnpaw rolled over into her nest and exhaled slowly. A moment later, Twigtail came in and dropped a dove in front of her. Fawnpaw looked up at his blue eyes and tilted her head. Twigtail looked away and laid back his ears. "Flamepaw told me you liked doves the most."

"Flamepaw wouldn't ever tell you that." Fawnpaw pointed out, "Let alone tell you my favorite prey."

"Does it matter _how_ I know?" He said with a hint of a growl in his voice. Fawnpaw didn't respond. She ducked her head and pulled off several feathers before biting into the prey. She noticed Twigtail weaving the feathers into her nest. She narrowed her eyes.

"You're worse than Twigpaw."

He raised his head.

"Just leave me alone. I don't like you."

"S-Shut up," he snapped, "I'm just trying to be friendly!" A sudden blush sprouted underneath his eyes. He perked his ears and looked at her straight in the eyes, "I'm trying my best to stomp out my feelings for you."

Fawnpaw attempting to make a normal conversation, bit into her prey again. After she swallowed she said, "Why can't medicine cats have mates?"

Twigtail lashed his tail and hissed, "Why are you asking me this?"

"Because you used to be a medicine cat just like me." She replied frostily. "You should know."

Twigtail's gaze softened. Then he said in a hushed voice, "They can't have mates because it would distract them from their duties."

"But leaders and deputies can have kits." She counter-pointed, "In fact, Fallenstar had kits. She had me and my siblings. She isn't all that distracted either. She still cares for us with all her heart."

Twigtail sighed. "You make a good point. But think about this; what if the medicine cat is a female? If that female medicine cat got a mate and had kits, how could she heal warriors and nurse those kits at the same time? What would happen if those kits are mewling for food while her leader is hanging onto the last life as he is slowly dying in the medicine den? He is going to need all the attention possible, but so do her kits."

"But what about apprentices or even mentors? Why can't they take care of it while they nurse?"

"It doesn't work that way. What about when the mentor dies?" Twigtail was calm by now, and giving very valid reasons. He flicked his ear. "It wouldn't ever work."

"But it wouldn't matter, because she could give them to another queen."

"What if there wasn't another queen?"

Fawnpaw narrowed her eyes and hissed, "Stop giving these 'what if' scenarios."

"They make sense." He said in a huff. Then he stood up and swiped his whiskers, "Why would you ask me this in the first place?"

She closed her eyes. "I want to justify myself and Flametail."

He tilted his head. "Yourself? Do you love someone?"

Fawnpaw was silent for a while. She turned her head and swallowed the last bit of the dove. "You still love me, I know this. I just want to find a loophole to make it okay."

"Do you love me then?" Hissed Twigtail almost angrily, "You can't love me. It's fine if I have feelings, but if it's you then you can never reciprocate those feelings."

"I don't love you." Fawnpaw said coldly, "I only pity you."

Twigtail was silent. Then he turned around and left the den, leaving Fawnpaw to wonder about herself. Why would she even ask a horrible tom that question unless something deep inside of her was stirring?

_I hate him._

But a tiny part of her asked, _Do you?_


	25. Always Chasing

**Author's Note:**

**Dear Guest…**

**Tell me how this is terrible? I have a reason for Fallenstar being a jerk, she is buckling under the pressure of leadership, didn't I clearly state that? I have created each character to specifically NOT be a mary-sue. Fawnpaw has broken nature's laws, Flamepaw is slowly going insane, and Pinepaw… Nevermind. Pinepaw is just a cute little duck. :3**

**Also, Mr. Guest, I would prefer it if you used a username instead of hiding behind an anonymous mask. That proves you are cowardly and are scared. If I may…**

**POOF. SEE? I used that FLAME to make s'mores for all of the good fans who actually CRITIQUE my writings. S'MORES FOR EVERYONE. But Mr. Guest isn't allowed to have any. He/she has already contributed by starting the flames. ;)**

**Now, to start the story before the note is longer than the chapter. XD**

Flamepaw was pacing around the clearing. He watched as Twigtail exit the medicine den. He narrowed his eyes and licked his chest quickly, pretending he never saw that pathetic tom.

"Flamepaw, guess what?"

He turned to face Birchwillow who seemed to bounce off of his paw tips. Flamepaw tilted his head. "What?"

Birchwillow gave a foolish smile and purred, "A little birdie told me that you are going to have your warrior ceremony this evening!"

Flamepaw's jaw hung slack. He could hardly comprehend what he has just said. A warrior? He has been training for a long time under the claws of Ferretclaw. Maybe it was time. Flamepaw composed himself and meowed smoothly, "I'm ready for this."

Birchwillow chuckled and shook his black tabby fur, "Really? I was so nervous when I learned I was going to become a warrior. I mean, I'm not exactly the most fit warrior here." He glanced to the side of his bulging belly, "I always had this kit fat cling on to me. But that's alright. Fallenstar is a total softie."

"But she ordered Oakfur to mercilessly _hunt_ Snow." He narrowed his green eyes.

"I'm sure her intentions were good. She was teaching Fawnpaw not to mess with nature."

"She's been doing that a lot lately…" Hissed Flamepaw as his tail began to lash.

Birchwillow's mouth opened to say something, but a horrible scream came from the nursery. Flamepaw glanced over to there and saw Mistfall's eyes wide open.

"The kits are coming early," she gasped kicking her legs, "I know! It just hurts so much!"

Littlecloud darted out of the medicine den and meowed hurridly to Fawnpaw, "Hurry, get some chervil, a stick, and borage leaves! Just in case, get a bundle of juniper berries if Mistfall has trouble breathing."

Then he charged over to the nursery and told Mistfall to just calm down and breath steady. Birchwillow and Flamepaw quickly moved out of the way so that Fawnpaw could bound over, small violet colored berries falling out of the leaf packet she made.

Stoatleap sprinted over to the nursery to be there for his mate during kitting. More screams erupted and Flamepaw covered his ears with his paws.

Fallenstar just got back from a hunting patrol with Toadfoot and she glanced over at the nursery. She told Toadfoot to take his share of the kill. Oddly, she was limping awkwardly and a tired look gleamed in her eyes. Flamepaw knew that look all too well.

His mother has lost a life while hunting.

The worst case scenario ran through his mind. Did Toadfoot turn on her and kill her? Then he reasoned that was highly unlikely. He shook his head, planning to ask her later.

For a long time, cats simply waited outside, holding their breath, praying to StarClan that none of the kits are stillborn.

Fallenstar said quietly, "Too many kits have lost their lives in ShadowClan. Mistfall needs to stay strong to her kits."

Suddenly, there was a silence. Fawnpaw then said with a clear voice, "Congratulations, Mistfall and Stoatleap, you are the parents for two she-kits and two toms!"

Flamepaw peeked into the nursery and saw four tiny heads rested by their mother's belly. Mistfall nuzzled them gently and purred, "We can name them anything we want, Stoatleap. You can start if you'd like."

He poked a paw at a pure white she-kit with a large pale brown splash on her back, forehead, and neck. Her paws were brown as well, and she yawned loudly. "I want to name her Owlkit, after my father." Then he set his tail on a pale ginger kit with speckles of dark brown on his back, chest, and tail. He looked exactly like Stoatleap. "I want to name him Emberkit."

Mistfall purred and set her nose on a dark grey she-cat with a pale grey spot on her chest. Her fur was spiked up as well, like her mother's. "She will be Nettlekit, because her fur is so spiky." Then her gaze landed on a very pale grey tom that almost looked white. He had pure grey ears and all of his tail. "And he will be Jaykit."

_Owlkit, Emberkit, Nettlekit, and Jaykit,_ Thought Flamepaw with a perked ear. He gasped when Birchwillow pulled him aside. Flamepaw sighed. "Sorry."

"They are cute though." Birchwillow admitted. "It's great to see that Fallenstar's apprentice finally has kits to father. Stoatleap has been through a lot; losing his entire family like that."

Flamepaw winced. "I don't want to remember it." But he did remember. Shrewfoot's body was sickly limp, and he heard that Owlclaw was trying too hard to avenge his mate's death. Ferretclaw once told Flamepaw that Stoatleap even had a sibling named Mountainkit who has wandered out of the camp and drowned in the lake; all the while Fallenstar trying to save her.

"She felt guilty for such a long time," Ferretclaw said a while ago, "She stayed by Mountainkit all night in the medicine den as she attempted to keep Mountainkit warm. But even with Fallenstar by her side, the kit died anyway."

Flamepaw shook his head. Then he sighed, "That is rough. But it's nice to see that he's got a loving mate and kits."

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather here beneath the High Branch for a Clan meeting!" Yowled Fallenstar sitting at the roots of the tree.

Flamepaw bounded over and he chose to sit next to Fawnpaw and Pinepaw. Pinepaw smiled, knowing that they're going to become warriors after the assessment.

Fallenstar chuckled and meowed, "What an eventful evening; Mistfall having her kits a bit early and two apprentices finally old enough to take their assessment."

Flamepaw's ears perked suddenly. "Just two?" He whispered to Pinepaw.

It was Fawnpaw who answered, "Yeah, I get a separate ceremony all to my own at the Moonpool. I get to wait a bit longer than you guys to get my name."

Flamepaw nodded in understanding. He looked back up at Fallenstar.

"The time has come for Flamepaw and Pinepaw to take their assessments. They will swap their mentors, meaning Smokefoot watches Flamepaw and Ferretclaw watches Pinepaw. Each apprentice will take separate paths and hunt. They will be graded on their technique and their defense. They will be surprise attacked by their graders. In the end at the reports, I will judge them. Once Smokefoot and Ferretclaw comes back with both apprentices, I will hold the ceremonies." She nodded. "You may start now." Then she blinked and purred, "But I have one more announcement before everyone leaves."

The Clan looked at Fallenstar oddly.

She dipped her head, "Plumpaw's second mentor has died, and it seems as though a streak of unfortunate luck has been stroke down on her." She straightened herself, "So I have decided on Plumpaw's next mentor. _I_ will train her myself. If anymore bad luck comes down, I have lives to spare. Clan dismissed."

Then she leaped down from the roots and nuzzled both of her kits. Flamepaw shied away as she purred warmly, "I'm so proud to see my kits finally becoming warriors."

Starlingwing walked over to them and grinned. "I'm proud as well. I'm sure that Fallenstar has decided on your full warriors names far before you even became apprentices. You know, considering she's leader and all." Starlingwing winked at Flamepaw, "Both of you… do me proud."

"I will, Dad. I promise." Meowed Pinepaw standing up straight.

"Mom."

Fallenstar looked at Flamepaw and tipped her head.

Flamepaw averted his gaze and muttered, "How did you lose your life?"

She stared at him for a bit and sighed. "You know too well if I lose a life, don't you?" She looked at Starlingwing. "I've already told you, haven't I?"

"You have that look in your eyes." Said Starlingwing sternly, "Like a dead fish. But the life in your eyes come back."

Fallenstar ducked her head and said softly, "This time, I slipped down a cliff towards the unexplored part of our territory." She shuddered, "This wasn't a very pretty death either. I looked terrible."

"Guys," mewed Smokefoot boredly, "About time we head out." Ferretclaw stood at his side, his ear twitching.

Flamepaw forced a grin at his parents as he raced after the two mentors.


	26. Protectors Of Forever

**Author's Note: Since ya'll hate me, let's see if we can… **_**patch up **_**per say Snow's death. So what can I do for you guys in the story that'll make you happy?**

Pinepaw's body shook as he ventured out into the forest. The four cats stopped and Smokefoot directed the apprentices which way they should go. Flamepaw bolted off without hesitation while Pinepaw slowly walked north. To get himself started, he raised his head and sniffed the air, his tail twitching.

He heard a quiet cry of a bird, but he shook his head.

_Has Fawnpaw forgiven Fallenstar for her orders? Did she realize that she was doing what was best for her?_

He shook himself out of his own thoughts and darted into the undergrowth. He inhaled the air deeply and laid back his ears and flattened his tail. Pinepaw's eyes narrowed as he scooted forward, seeing a thrush pecking at the roots of a large pine tree.

The apprentice slowly inched forward before he finally wound up his muscles tightly. He leaped toward the bird and he quickly slammed his paws down on the tail feathers. It chirped loudly, making Pinepaw flinch in bad memories.

As the memories flooded into his mind, he snapped the thrush's neck. He built a small dam, quickly blockading the flow of his mind.

The thrush hung limp in his jaws as he glanced down at the brown dappled feathers of the bird. He turned over to a holly bush and set the limp bird in there. He covered it in pine needles and he marked the area.

Pinepaw whirled around and continued to walk in the forest, successfully giving chase to a squirrel, catching his claws in its tail before it could climb any higher. One mouse got away, but he eventually found another one to make up for it.

As Pinepaw set the mouse back in the pile of prey he left at the holly bush, he was suddenly slammed and out of breath. Pinepaw's face as smashed into the dirt by a forceful claw. He glanced up to see Ferretclaw's dim figure in the shadows.

Pinepaw was too small and lithe to kick the much larger tom off, so he rolled over and thrust Ferretclaw into the ground. Pinepaw then swiped his tail underneath Ferretclaw's back leg making him trip. The small brown tabby apprentice leaped on top of Ferretclaw and shoved the other tom's face into the ground. He spat out dirt and meowed, "Well done, Pinepaw. You have evened out your defense and offense, and was too quick for me to simply keep on eye on you. You do have the skill of your father, maybe even better."

Pinepaw let the cream and grey tom up. The cats smiled at each other as Ferretclaw looked in the direction of the camp, "It's evening now, so the assessment is over. Come on, let's head back with your prey."

Pinepaw nodded and gathered up the large squirrel while Ferretclaw picked up the mouse and thrush.

Their paws thumped on the ground in harmony, stirring up the orange leaves and dead pine needles, and Pinepaw's fur prickled. He's going to finally become a warrior by tonight! He'll be a warrior standing by his brother. One day, he'll be able to stand next to his sister as well when she gets her medicine cat name.

When the walked into the camp, Pinepaw gasped when he spotted Flamepaw. Eagerly, Pinepaw set his prey down onto the fresh-kill pile and rushed over to his brother.

"How did you do, Flamepaw?"

"I think I did fine. I struggled a little with hunting though. But I made up what I lack in hunting with fighting. Smokefoot said I fight just like Fallenstar did when she was a warrior and apprentice." Then he turned to his brother fully, "What about you?"

"I did great on the hunting." Said Pinepaw grinning, "And I think I fought off Ferretclaw easily enough."

The brothers were about to continue the conversation, but Fallenstar said loudly, "All cats old enough to catch their own prey, join here beneath the High Branch for a Clan meeting!"

Flamepaw and Pinepaw quickly exchanged overjoyed glances before rushing to join the rest of the Clan, sitting in the front of the crowd with Smokefoot and Ferretclaw.

Fallenstar turned her gaze to Smokefoot, "How did Flamepaw do on his assessment?"

Smokefoot dipped his fluffy black head before saying, "Flamepaw is an excellent fighter. However, he wasn't the best with hunting, catching a sloppy mouse and a large toad. But like I have previously stated, he is a very good fighter and deserves to be a warrior for what he makes up in that set."

Fallenstar nodded then looked over at Ferretclaw, "How did Pinepaw do?"

"Pinepaw was very focused on catching his prey and he brought back a good haul; a mouse, a squirrel, and a thrush. He fights like even if the prey is escaping it's merely a challenge given to him. He doesn't give up the prey until it is completely out of sight. In fighting, he has defended himself well given he is a lithe cat. He fights like it's the same thing as hunting."

Fallenstar smiled at her kits then stood up. "I have decided that both apprentices will become warriors."

Emberkit stepped out of the nursery with Owlkit tumbling after as Mistfall attempted to pull them back into the nursery.

"What's a warrior, Momma?" Asked Emberkit.

"A warrior is a cat that defends and cares for the Clan. They are the very backbone of ShadowClan." Mistfall said softly.

Owlkit's blue eyes got wide as she gasped, "Then I want to be a warrior!"

Mistfall nervously scrambled her kits back into the nursery before glancing sheepishly at Fallenstar. Fallenstar grinned then cleared her throat. "Anyway, I must ask the sacred words now before my own children, Flamepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend ShadowClan, even at the cost of your life?"

Flamepaw stepped up and puffed out his chest as his voice rang out clearly, "I do."

Fallenstar turned her head to Pinepaw. Pinepaw's paws shuffled uneasily.

"And do you, Pinepaw, promise to uphold the warrior and defend ShadowClan, even at the cost of your life?"

Pinepaw was quiet for a moment. Then he took a deep breath and declared, "Yes."

"Then from this day onward, You shall be known as Flamebranch and Pineleaf. May StarClan view Flamebranch with his prowess in battle and see Pineleaf with his wit. Tonight, both of you shall hold vigil for the Clan."

Pineleaf turned to see the Clan cheering loudly for them, Fawnpaw and Twigtail included, "Flamebranch, Pineleaf! Flamebranch, Pineleaf!"

"Clan dismissed."

The cats began to swarm around Pineleaf and Flamebranch. Plumpaw stepped up and purred to Pineleaf, "Congratulations, Pineleaf."

"Thanks, Plumpaw." Replied the brown tabby tilting his head and smiling.

Stemtalon and Birchwillow surrounded Flamebranch as Birchwillow cried out, "No way! Flamebranch is such a cool name!"

Flamebranch grinned and swished his tail, "So is Birchwillow and Stemtalon."

Fawnpaw pushed and shoved through the crowd to get to Pineleaf. "Hey there, Pinepa- I mean… Pineleaf!" She chuckled, "No offense, but pine trees don't even have leaves."

"Still sounds good." Pineleaf protested.

Fawnpaw beamed then glanced at the entrance of the Clan. "You should probably get ready to hold vigil tonight."

Pineleaf nodded. "Will do."

* * *

The night was freezing. Leaf-fall has finally came by, and it hit hard. The night before was warm and full of chirping crickets. Pineleaf shivered in the darkness, separated from his brother guarding the other side of the camp.

It was a night of listening and silence, to stay awake until the warm sun came up from over the pine trees.

The half moon rose higher, signaling it was time for Fawnpaw to head out to the moonpool.

Pineleaf watched as the moonlight patrol walked out. He spotted Toadfoot, Fallenstar, Starlingwing, and Crowfrost. The warriors and one leader all nodded at Pineleaf.

While the warriors headed over to the ThunderClan territory, Pineleaf resisting nodding off.

Shadows swirled around him, and he wondered if Fawnpaw will get her name tonight. He shook it away. Probably not tonight in all honestly. She has clearly stated herself that she's going to need to wait a lot longer. For her name to come along.

Pineleaf was lonely, and to pass the time, he thought about Swallowpaw. He sighed dreamily. Swallowpaw was such a pretty she-cat, and he could possibly even be in love with her. He lowered his head.

No. She is simply a half-clan cat that is expected of the best.

Suddenly, Pineleaf realized that he is as well; half-clan. This was because Fallenstar was originally a loner that simply wandered until she stumbled across ShadowClan. Starlingwing was a pure-bred ShadowClan warrior. Therefore, making Pineleaf and his siblings half-clan.

A dim light shone in the corner of Pineleaf's amber eyes. He looked up at the sky to see it beginning to turn orange and a pale sun slowly rising over the tree tops. He felt a tap on his shoulder and he turned around to see Smokefoot.

"Your vigil is over." The black tom said. He turned around and walked back into the camp. Pineleaf yawned and stretched his cramped up legs. He turned around and walked back into the camp to see Flamebranch trotting in slowly as well.

"Hey there, Flamebranch." Yawned Pineleaf, "You tired?"

Flamebranch nodded in reply and the brothers walked into the warriors den together.

Even though he was now curled in his new nest with his brother, a sick feeling in his gut told him something was wrong with Flamebranch.

Quietly, Flamebranch said quietly, "Now we can protect the Clan…" then he added, "Forever."


	27. The Darker Message of Hunger

**Author's Note: Another horrible game of spot the reference. Can you rubber ducks find it? And yes, I do make the references very subtle. But let's see who'll find it…**

Fallenstar saw Flamebranch talking to himself during the vigil. In the morning, all she could do is go back to her den and ponder on Flametail's final words before her third life was ended with her body mostly bloody and impaled on rocks jutting out of the ground.

* * *

"_We can go check out the unexplored part of the territory." Said Toadfoot trotting onwards, "Maybe we'll have luck over there."_

_ Fallenstar dipped her head and huffed, "Maybe."_

_ "Don't be so sour, Fallenstar." Laughed Toadfoot, "I see that even though you're the leader, you're still snappy and bitter as ever."_

_ Fallenstar cracked a smile and glanced at Toadfoot, "I'll still be like this even when I'm old and dying in medicine den."_

_ "Don't talk about death." Toadfoot replied rolling his eyes, "You're younger than me still."_

_ As they walked on in the crunching leaves, the trees began to thin out and loud cries of twolegs echoed. Fallenstar stared at a smaller twoleg. She had long brown hair and a green shirt and jeans. Fallenstar knew what to call her because she used to be a twoleg. That _human _was laughing as she tossed a marshmallow into her brother's eye. Then ensued a marshmallow fight._

Was I right to shatter those dozen cookies? _She thought to herself, _Was I not thinking about much I'm going to miss being a human? My brother commit suicide because of that drunk driver in the red truck. My mother was so worried. She was so, so happy when it turned out I woke up from that coma.

_"Fallenstar?" Asked Toadfoot waving his tail in front of her. She snapped back to reality and she stood facing a squirrel on top of a slightly risen large lump in the ground. Fallenstar lightly pushed Toadfoot back and smiled._

_ "I'll get this squirrel."_

_ Toadfoot nodded and took several paces back. Fallenstar began to slink forward. She narrowed her eyes and resisted letting her jaws drool._

_ The squirrel saw her and it sprinted off. Fallenstar smirked. _Let's do this the hard way.

_Then she ran off chasing after it in a flurry. She began to panting, knowing that perhaps tireless energy would be pretty useful right then. As she finally reached the crest of the hill, something under her slipped. The ground disappeared underneath her, and it took a moment to register that it was a cliff._

_ It was a very long drop, about two tree lengths. She began to scream when she saw that far below was spiked up rocks jutting out from the ground. It quickly dawned on Fallenstar that she's going to die from this._

_ Wind whipped through her pelt and she closed her eyes. Suddenly, pain shot through her. She was gasping in pain and she saw a large stone impaled into her body. Blood trickled down her belly and it spurted out of her mouth._

_ Fallenstar's green eyes were wide with horror. More blood dripped and her hearing became somewhat blurred._

_ "FALLENSTAR!" Screamed Toadfoot at the top of the cliff. She couldn't move her neck to look up at him. Horrible pain went through her body and she winced in pain when black spots dotted her vision._

_ "Damn…" she hissed painfully, her native human tongue coming back her out of habit, "this hurts like hell…"_

_ "I-I'm coming down there to get you!" Cried out Toadfoot._

_ She spluttered out even more blood and she fought so hard to stay alive. She didn't want to lose the next life to only have her heart broken as she stares at the blue eyed and ginger face of Flametail._

_ She felt Toadfoot dragging her off of the stones and the pain pulsed through her. Toadfoot gasped and said quickly, "Oh no, I-I need to stop the blood. There's a lot of blood. Fallenstar, hang on! I'm not letting you lose another life."_

_ Fallenstar breathed in a gasp of air. She was even too weak to lash her tail._

But even good cats know when to give up. No matter how stubborn they are.

_She closed her eyes and let a silvery light slowly swallow her up. The lights formed into the pale figure of Flametail. She looked up at him and muttered, "That was stupid of me, Flametail. That is a humiliating way to lose a life."_

_ Flametail helped Fallenstar stand up. "Better you than Toadfoot."_

_ Fallenstar averted her gaze and laid back her only ear. "I know."_

_ Then he turned around and meowed, "You should probably see her for yourself." He turned around to reveal a brown she-cat with dark brown tabby marks. Her chest and muzzle is cream colored. All of her paws are dark brown and her tail was ringed with brown and cream. Her green eyes looked around curiously and she bounded off into the silver forest of StarClan._

_ Fallenstar shivered. "I hate seeing myself in StarClan. It freaks me out."_

_ Flametail smiled. "I know. Now you need to get back. StarClan has fixed your wounds to the best of our abilities. Thank Toadfoot for dragging you off of the stones. Otherwise it would have been too severe to fix."_

_ "Thank you, Flametail." She dipped her head and added quietly, "I have only six lives left, don't I?"_

_ "They're going fast." He said sadly. Then he stepped up, "Keep and eye out for the hungry fire. This fire will protect your Clan, but that fire will spread and go into the Clan. Protect the forest animals and plants from this fire, even if they love this fire."_

_ Fallenstar's mind clicked immediately, "Flamepaw is the fire, Fawnpaw is one of the forest animals, and Pinepaw is the plants. Are you saying that Flamepaw is going to hurt them somehow?"_

_ "Indirectly, of course." Flametail dipped his head. "Protect ShadowClan."_

_ Suddenly, the light turned into darkness. She gasped and opened her eyes. She looked around frantically and saw Toadfoot's eyes wide open._

_ Toadfoot stepped back. "Y-Your wounds… they faded away…"_

_ Fallenstar looked down at her belly to see the wound was sealed up but the blood was still there. She stood up weakly and hissed, "Abandon the hunt. I'll make up for it this evening."_

_ "Two moons are almost over," he said suddenly, "Shouldn't our hunt be almost over?"_

_ She nodded. "After my kits have their warrior ceremonies and their vigils are over, I'll announce your hunt over."_

_ So the leader and the warrior returned to the camp empty jawed. Fallenstar saw Flamepaw staring right at her eyes. Like he knew she has lost a life. She straightened herself. _Cheer up, Pinepaw and Flamepaw are going to become warriors tonight. Send them off.

* * *

Fallenstar walked out of her den, feeling exhausted. Flamebranch and Pineleaf are now warriors. So why wasn't she cheered up?

Fallenstar swept her gaze across all of ShadowClan. Oakfur has just sent out the morning patrol. She laid down at the entrance and took a deep breath.

"How's it going, Fallenstar?" Asked Crowfrost setting down a frog in front of her. "Your daughter has just got back from the moonpool."

She nodded and took a bite of the frog in front of her. "That's nice. I'll have to go visit her later and ask if she's seen Ivytail."

Crowfrost sighed. "Ivytail isn't going to give out her opinion. She wasn't even that involved with Fawnpaw's life. Besides, that was a few moons ago. If anything, she'd see Kinkfur. It was her who didn't stop her from getting to the deathberries."

"Don't talk about it." She hissed lashing her tail. "I don't want to talk about their deaths and rectangled love affair."

"What's a rectangle?" Asked Crowfrost.

Fallenstar blushed. More human talk.

_It's time to face it. _Fallenstar thought abandoning her frog._ Was it really the right thing to wake up?_

"I need to do something." Fallenstar said walking away from Crowfrost, "You can have the rest of that frog."

She scrambled up the tree and called out for a Clan meeting. She remembered the promise she has kept to Toadfoot and she plans to keep it. The brown she-cat looked down at the Clan, "It is time to end Toadfoot's punishment. We will now hunt for the rest of the Clan. We will also forget the past. That was a few moons ago, and ShadowClan will move on. Toadfoot is forgiven for what he is done. That is all I have needed to say. Clan dismissed." Then she went back down the tree.

Smoothly, she trotted across the clearing and laid down on the large smooth rock in front of the warrior's den. She swept her tail across it, feeling smooth underneath her fur.

She looked at the entrance, seeing Plumpaw call out for Flamebranch and Pineleaf to join a patrol. Then she looked up at Fallenstar and meowed, "Oakfur told me to go on a patrol with you and the new warriors."

Fallenstar nodded and stretched her legs as she clambered off of the rock. She watched when Flamebranch leapt out and grinned widely. "Hello there, Mom." He said cheerfully.

Fallenstar forced a smile. "Hello, Flamebranch."

Plumpaw flicked her tabby tail and asked quietly, "Can we get to hunting now?"

The leader nodded and replied, "We probably should. Leaf-bare is coming."

"And fast too." Added Pineleaf. He turned to the entrance and guided the patrol out. But before they could even reach it, they were bombarded with another patrol made of kits. Plumpaw toppled over as both Jaykit and Emberkit worked together to bring her down.

"Hello, Plumpaw!" Meowed Jaykit wagging his tail, "Are you going on a patrol without us?"

"Maybe." She huffed scrambling to get up.

Emberkit's ears perked up, "I want to come with you."

"Neither of you coming with me on this patrol." Plumpaw said calmly, her voice perfectly even. "You two have a nursery to protect from foxes."

"What's a fox?" Asked Jaykit loudly.

Plumpaw slapped her tail on his mouth. "Ask your mother that question." She rolled her eyes and ran up to Fallenstar. Emberkit and Jaykit were now sprinting to the nursery, rushing to ask Mistfall what a fox was.

"Kits will be kits." Said Fallenstar. Plumpaw looked up at Fallenstar and nodded. The brown and cream tabby she-cat looked at Pineleaf and said, "You can take this patrol, Pineleaf."

He nodded and the four cats walked together in the forest.

As they treaded in the darkness and marsh, she looked over uneasily at Flamebranch who was walking on with confident strides. She has decided to name this cat after a medicine cat she has accidentally fallen in love with. But this tom was nothing like Flametail. Instead, Flamebranch was eager to serve ShadowClan. But no matter how well he's going to protect it, ShadowClan's only going to fall under his flames.


	28. A Giving Thief

**Author's Note: Really, Erin Hunters? REALLY? Can you guys explain to me why Tallpoppy is at Tigerstar's nine lives ceremony in the Ultimate Guide but is alive at the end of The Last Hope?**

**CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO ME THIS BULLCRAP!?**

"Fawnpaw, hurry and get the tansy!"

She nodded and sprinted over a pile of ragged green leaves and flowers. She looked back over her shoulder to see Tallpoppy breathing shallowly.

"You better save her." Hissed Applefur laying next to her along with Toadfoot, her brother. The siblings nuzzled their mother softly.

When Fawnpaw laid the tansy next to her mouth, Tallpoppy meowed feebly, "At least… at least I'll be with Marshkit."

"No, stay with us! You have grandkits to care for! Think about Twigtail, Stemtalon and Birchwillow!"

"I'm thinking about everyone." She coughed. Then she gasped in pain.

"Juniper berries, Fawnpaw!"

Fawnpaw didn't move. She dug her claws into the ground. Littlecloud stared at her and he hissed again, "Juniper berries!"

"I can't."

"Why not!?"

Fawnpaw ducked her head. "Death is inevitable for Tallpoppy."

Tallpoppy gasped in pain and clutched where her heart should be with her claws. She cried out in pain and gasped, "My heart stopped… beating…"

Fawnpaw sighed, "I'm getting the deathberries."

Littlecloud was quiet for a moment before he replied quietly, "Alright. Get them. They should be in the back like always."

Toadfoot swung his head toward Fawnpaw and snapped, "Don't you dare kill my mother! She has to hang on for a little bit longer."

"But she's in pain." Meowed Fawnpaw sternly still walking, "We have to ease her journey to StarClan."

Tallpoppy was still in pain, her heart beating on and off. Fawnpaw scrambled in the den for the bright red berries. They caught her eye jumbled in the juniper berries. She sighed. She really needs to clean up the place and organize the herbs better.

She took the berries in a leaf bundle and carried them over to Tallpoppy. She set them down in front of the dying she-cat and nodded. Tallpoppy smiled for her kits and took a deathberry in her mouth. Littlecloud and Fawnpaw watched as she swallowed and closed her eyes.

Toadfoot then said sadly, "Tell Marshkit I said 'hi'…"

Then Tallpoppy's head flopped down and she died.

Suddenly, Applefur wailed out in misery and laid down on her mother, nuzzling her desperately. Fawnpaw dipped her head. She looked at Littlecloud and they shared a look that said, 'we have to prepare the body."

"I'll tell Fallenstar." Said Littlecloud. "You can prepare the body." Then he exit the den, flicking his tail. He turned to Toadfoot and Applefur. "You two have to get away from he body and let my apprentice prepare it. You can grieve at the vigil."

Applefur and Toadfoot reluctantly tore away from their mother's body. They sniffled and sobbed as they walked out of the den. Fawnpaw approached Tallpoppy and took a long bristled stalk of a green plant with white flowers. She took the rosemary plant over to her pelt and rubbed it in to hide the bitter stench of death.

Fawnpaw stared at her for a long time. Was it her fault that the elder has died? Has she mixed up poppy seeds with foxglove seeds?

_Foxglove seeds cause the heart to become weak._ She remembered in her mind, _Never mix them up._

"Is the body ready?" Asked Littlecloud stepping into the den.

Fawnpaw nodded and the two medicine cats dragged the body outside to the center of the camp. All of the cats gathered around. Nettlekit poked her head out of the nursery and she said in a sour voice, "Why is she sleeping in the middle of the camp?"

Mistfall held her daughter close to her. "She's too tired." She whispered, "Tallpoppy can't help it."

"She's going to get in the way." Snorted Emberkit.

Mistfall slapped her paw over her kit's ear. "Don't disrespect her like that. Tallpoppy isn't coming back. I think it's about time I tell you about StarClan." Then she herded her kits into the den. Fawnpaw dipped her head and walked over to the limp body of the elder. She stared down at her swirling pale tabby fur.

Fallenstar headed over to the body and she stood up straight. "I am sorry for her death. Fawnpaw, did you at least make her passing peaceful?"

Fawnpaw hid her face as if she has done a dark deed, "Yes, I had to feed her deathberries."

Fallenstar slowly blinked and nodded in understanding.

_I wish I was a better medicine cat._

* * *

Flamebranch flopped inside the medicine den. He tilted his head and smiled widely like a fool. "Hey there, Fawnpaw! Do you know when you'll be getting your name?"

"No," she snapped, "go away, I'm organizing the herbs. If they aren't in proper order, then a mistake could be very fatal." She pawed at the foxglove seeds. "Why were they in here anyway?"

Flamebranch walked over and sniffed the seeds. "They're poppy seeds."

"I could have given her the wrong seeds. They look very similar to poppy seeds."

Flamebranch tilted his head and asked, "What do foxglove seeds do?"

Fawnpaw stared at the plants in misery. She sniffled and shoved the black seeds away. "They paralyze the cat's heart. That's how Tallpoppy died."

"Then another Clan must have snuck them in!" He growled, "It could be that stinking RiverClan coming back for more or maybe even ThunderClan stirring up trouble. What if it was Twigtail? He could poison ShadowClan inside out under our noses."

"Relax," Fawnpaw said quietly, "It might be another Clan, but I very much doubt it was Twigtail."

"Maybe you're putting too much trust into that rotten apple." Flamebranch sniffed. A silence came on and his green eyes slowly widened. "W-Wait… are you falling in _love_ with him?"

Fawnpaw lowered her face, too ashamed to answer.

"If Twigtail the fox heart so much as _touches_ my sister I'll rip his StarClan forsaken face off!"

"Shut up." She hissed, "It wasn't Twigtail. I'll go ask him myself."

Flamebranch glared at Fawnpaw as she walked out of the den. She looked around the camp and spotted his brown pelt dark against the large rock. She trotted over to the tom and looked up at him. He looked down at Fawnpaw and attempted to glare at her, only succeeding in a forced grin.

She took a deep breath and asked, "Do you know why foxglove seeds were in the medicine storage?"

He tilted his head and said in a bored voice, "I have no clue."

Fawnpaw stepped up to him and hissed, "Twigpaw's grandmother has just _died_ because of foxglove seeds. You are the host of his body, so at least pretend to care." She smiled and went on smoothly, "You even admitted that the feelings of Twigpaw's heart has latched on to you. This means that you have a scratch of pain in your heart that Tallpoppy is dead."

Twigtail lowered his ears. "Maybe I do. Tallpoppy was a sweet old cat. But that doesn't mean I care she died."

"It doesn't matter either way. All I want to know is if you know why there were those seeds in the medicine den."

"I said I don't know." He said roughly, "Maybe I can investigate with you. Besides, I'm much older and experienced with herbs than you are. All you have to do is sit back and watch as I find the culprit." He twirled around her and smirked, "Or maybe it was you who picked the wrong herb."

Fawnpaw turned around and growled, "I'm not stupid enough to make a mistake like that."

"Then it's settled." He purred. Twigtail stood up. "I'll find out who put those seeds in there." Then he walked over to the medicine den to begin the investigation.

Flamebranch came out of the den and stared in shock at Fawnpaw. "Did you really just trust Twigtail to find out who put the seeds in there?"

Fawnpaw nodded. "He has several good points. I kind of _have_ to trust him."

"He's going to end up poisoning the Clan." Flamebranch snarled, "He's trying to lure you into trusting him then slice his claws down your back in a fit of betrayal. He's just a snake that deserves to have their head bashed in with a rock before he does anything to hurt you."

The dappled she-cat rolled her eyes. "Hurt _me_? I was once foolish enough to trust him, but he is starting to warm up to ShadowClan. I know it in my gut."

"Well, your gut is full of bees." Said Flamebranch coldly. "I will not let Twigtail near you. Do you understand me, Fawnpaw?"

She turned away and stayed quiet. Then she walked into the medicine den to be with Twigtail. If anything, Twigtail is much more trustworthy than her bee-brained brother. Her brother is just too overprotective. He has to let her do her own thing.

Twigtail twisted around to face Fawnpaw. He grinned and meowed proudly, "I have found out which Clan has left the seeds here."

"How can you tell?" She asked curiously.

He pawed at them and hissed, "The slime hasn't dried off yet. If you sniff them very carefully, you'll detect a trace of fish and concentrated plants."

She tilted her head. "So which Clan left them here?"

Twigtail bent down to sniff again. "This nose isn't as strong as a WindClanner's, but I can tell for sure that it's from RiverClan."

**Author's Note: I'm evil. Try to guess who the RiverClan cat that put them there was…**


	29. All in the Name of Secrecy

**Author's Note: Hm… I thought it was in this box…**

**Oh, hello. Don't mind me, just searching for a hammer to break your hearts.**

… **I found it! It just so happened to be in Pineleaf's nest. Now, just stay still while I shatter your hearts. I promise, it'll be quick. **

**Geez, I should quit lying. It's going to be painfully slow. Nothing personal.**

A grey she-cat with very pale blue eyes and a thin figure gave a small dark grey she-cat a small beech leaf wrap. She looked around frantically and meowed silently in the darkness, "Put this in the ShadowClan camp. We have to emotionally cripple _her_ to the point of suicide. If she stays alive, then this forest will be broken down."

The she-cat set her snowy white paws on the wrap and looked up at the taller thin she-cat, "But isn't this wrong?"

"So is what you do at every new moon." She replied sourly. The smaller she-cat dipped her head then slowly nodded. The other she-cat smirked and purred, "Make sure you mix it in with the poppy seeds. If we're lucky enough then she'll eat them herself."

"Why me?" She asked in a hushed voice, "I don't want anything to do with this."

"It'll work just fine, I have my inner reasons."

The dark grey she-cat narrowed her eyes and growled, "Is this because of my mother's plan?"

The other cat didn't say anything. She shoved the smaller cat out of her den and meowed, "Just get it in the camp. Rub yourself in the stream or roll around in a patch of mushrooms before proceeding."

The smaller cat picked up the bundle with her teeth and walked out of the camp. She looked frantically around and sprinted off through the thinly spaced forest. She jumped over a puddle and ran faster. She gulped then without a moment of hesitation, leaped across the stream. A back paw slipped into the water but she shook it off.

She hated water.

The she-cat's paws cut through the darkness. She glanced at the half-bridge then shook her head.

The stinking scent of pine needles and stagnant puddles came rushing into her. She gagged for a moment but held tight to the leaf packet. She set it down and rolled over in a patch of mushrooms. Then she stood back up and picked up the leaf packet again.

The survival of the forest depended on her. But also her secret rode high on the success of this mission.

The cat looked down into the camp. She breathed out a sigh of relief when a single cat stood his post at the entrance of the camp. She couldn't see him very well in the darkness. All she knew was that he was several shades of brown.

He sniffed the air then looked around suspiciously. She gasped and turned away before he could spot her. She was thankful that her pelt was dark enough to hide her. But why did she have to have white paws and tail tip?

She circled the camp until the scent of herbs hit her. She perked her ears and slipped into the den tangled in rocks and tree roots. The dark grey cat ducked into the den and looked around for a pile of poppy seeds. Soft snoring came into her ears. She turned to her left to see a pale brown she-cat with dark brown dapples and delicate paws.

The intruder shook her head and pawed at a pile of tiny black seeds. She looked around once more then unwrapped the packet. Small incredibly dark blue seeds rolled out. The she-cat looked behind her then rolled the foxglove seeds into the pile of poppy seeds. The intruder nodded and took the beech leaves.

As the she-cat exits the camp as fast as she could, she glanced back at the brown tabby at the entrance. Suddenly, shock flooded her body.

He turned his amber eyes right toward her. But he couldn't see her. Tears pricked the she-cat's eyes. She didn't want to do this to ShadowClan, she didn't want to hurt the cat she secretly fallen way too deep in love with.

_I'm sorry, Pinepaw._

* * *

Willowshine wrapped a clump of bindweed around Swallowpaw's front paw. "At least you're still alive." She mewed, "You should work up the courage to tell Shadepaw to let up the training."

She huffed and flexed her paw, "I already have. But he bluntly said he's showing off to me."

Willowshine chuckled. "His warrior ceremony is tomorrow. I wonder when yours will be…"

Swallowpaw ducked her head. "I don't want to be a warrior. That's when I lose my innocence and the toms will start running after me."

"But you are such a pretty she-cat." Purred Mothwing entering the den. "You are Troutstream's pride and joy. You know she wants you to become the leader of RiverClan some day. She expects big things from you."

Swallowpaw stood up and sighed. "I am expected of big things. She has expected to throw me into royal treatment from the very start."

"And I think Shadepaw is planning to take a bite of that royalty soon." Meowed Willowshine. Mothwing glared at her apprentice and lashed her tail over her apprentice's ear. Willowshine ducked her head and hissed, "He admitted it to me that he is planning big things for Swallowpaw here. And when I saw big things…" she raised an eyebrow and smirked, "I really mean _big _things."

Swallowpaw blushed and raced to exit the den. "I think I'll take my leave now. Reedtail is expecting me to join him and my mother on a swimming lesson."

So she raced out of the den to face Reedtail. One of his eyes was crystal blue while the other was a shimmering yellow. He smiled at her and guided her out of the camp. Swallowpaw sensed two more presences behind her. She looked back to see a fluffy incredibly dark –almost black- brown tom with sun yellow eyes with a pale silver tall tabby she-cat with orange eyes standing next to him. She smiled at Swallowpaw and purred loudly.

Swallowpaw dreaded when Troutstream joined training sessions with her. She pushed her daughter to the very highest limit.

"Here's the lake!" Cried out Shadepaw lashing his tail. He shoved Swallowpaw to the side and leaped ahead of the patrol. Swallowpaw hissed and licked her shoulder. Reedtail and Troutstream looked at their apprentice and daughter respectively.

With her perked ears, she caught Reedtail whispering to her mother, "Undoubtedly, Shadepaw is going to become her mate some day."

"Well, you and I both know that courtship is much more arranged here than in other Clans." Replied Troutstream, "And that's why I paired her up with the strongest apprentice."

"I can hear you!" Snapped Swallowpaw.

Reedtail chuckled. "Just go catch up with Shadepaw. I want to see you in the water by the time I get there to the lake."

Swallowpaw swiveled her head back down to the lake and she picked up her pace. She saw Shadepaw already splashing in the water and laughing. Swallowpaw took a deep breath and approached him, but not taking a pawstep in the water. "Hello, Shadepaw."

Shadepaw turned to Swallowpaw and purred, "Join me in the water. Just stay in the shallow areas, I promise it'll help you with your drypaw problem."

"I don't care about my drypaw problem." Swallowpaw said frostily.

"You should, you were born and raised in RiverClan." He said calmly. Then he walked out of the water and came nose to nose with her. He took a deep breath and said quietly, "Swallowpaw, you have to learn how to trust me. We are going to be mates one day."

"But I don't want to be your mate!" She snapped, "I have someone else in mind. Besides, I'm just a half-clan mutt."

Shadepaw smiled and set his paw on hers. She retracted hers in an instant.

Swallowpaw turned her head away. "Let me explain; _I know you don't love me._ You are only hiding underneath the mask of a gentle tom. But that isn't you. I hate masks the most, they are for blowhards and cowards."

"Or maybe skilled actors?" Pressed Shadepaw.

Swallowpaw was about to open her mouth in a stinging retort saying, _You're the result of rape, _but Troutstream's voice cut through the air. "I see that you and Shadepaw are bonding."

Swallowpaw looked at Shadepaw and said through gritted teeth, "Yeah, _bonding_." Then she took a step up and said in a crisp voice, "After all, we are going to be such _lovely_ mates." Then she smirked.

_Please disappear._ She thought suddenly. _I want to be quiet again. I only turned into a snapping turtle when Troutstream told me about my arrangement with Shadepaw. Being told I'll be leader someday is bad enough._

"Step into the water." Reedtail said curtly, "This is probably the best place to get you over the water."

Swallowpaw glanced down at the lapping waves and gulped. She took a ginger pawstep into the water then gasped. The water wrapped around her like a curling snake trying to constrict her. The very sight of her paw waving around in the illusion of the water was enough to make her sick. She hissed and came out of the water quickly.

Then Shadepaw came close to her ear and purred in a rumbling voice, "We'll get through the water together."

"And I'll make sure you're the one drowning in it."

Suddenly, Swallowpaw shoved Shadepaw into the water. Water came into his mouth and he reemerged. He flipped his head up out of the water and giggled.

Troutstream licked her daughter's ear and purred, "It's great to see that you are clearly _playing_ with him."

"Come into the water, Swallowpaw." Said Shadepaw swimming around in a circle, "You will love it, I promise."

"Can I go back to camp?" She asked, "I want to be alone with Troutstream for our next lesson, she teaches me best."

Reedtail sighed then nodded. Swallowpaw shot a quick glare at both warriors and at Shadepaw. Then she raced back up the hill to the camp.

* * *

She looked up at the cloudy dark nighttime sky. Swallowpaw slinked out of the apprentice den but she gasped in pain when Willowshine bit down on her tail. She turned and glared.

"I need to ask you if you successfully put the foxglove seeds at the ShadowClan camp last night." She asked very quietly.

Swallowpaw solemnly nodded, "Now keep your end of the bargain and don't tell anyone I'm meeting Pinepaw tonight!"

"Sure, no problem." She purred. "Ask him if anyone has died recently." Then she trotted back to the medicine den.

Swallowpaw shredded her claws into the ground and took many brave leaps forward. Leaves were kicked up and her breath was short and excited.

She can't wait to meet Pinepaw tonight!

The half-bridge quickly came into sight. She purred happily when she spotted a tom with brown tabby splashes. She ran over to him and pinned him down on the boards. He stared up at her with those handsome amber eyes. She smiled and set her paw on his cheek.

"Hi." She meowed quietly.

The brown tabby grinned back and said, "Hi."

The two sat up on the bridge and stared out across the dark lapping lake. She leaned on his lithe and sleek shoulder and she shut her eyes. She curled her ringed white and dark blue tail into his long brown tabby tail.

Suddenly, the tom said, "I got my warrior name a few days ago."

She looked up at him and meowed excitedly, "What is it?"

He looked down at her and purred, "My name is now Pineleaf."

Swallowpaw gasped and wrapped her tail tighter. She didn't say anything. She was so happy for him now. The tom she loves now is a warrior and soon enough she'll be a warrior as well. "That's amazing." Then she slowly blinked and asked quietly, "Has… has anyone died recently?"

Pineleaf looked down at his paws. "Tallpoppy died of heart paralysis yesterday. Fawnpaw figured out that it was foxglove seeds. Flamebranch-" he cut himself off. He grinned, "Yeah, my brother got his name too. Fawnpaw is still waiting for hers though. Anyway, Flamebranch told me that Fawnpaw and Twigtail are going to investigate who left the seeds in the den. Fawnpaw is sure that she didn't leave them."

Guilt ate Swallowpaw alive. An elder has died because of her decisions. For some reason, she was too tongue tied to admit it was her who left the seeds. She had a reason though. Willowshine found out that she was meeting Pineleaf, so she blackmailed her to leave the seeds in ShadowClan. Swallowpaw flinched and rested her head on Pineleaf's shoulder. "I'm so sorry about Tallpoppy."

"It's okay. She was really old anyway. It was about her time to join the ranks of StarClan."

_It's my fault she even died._ Swallowpaw thought flinching. _What was Willowshine's dream about anyway? It was something about Fawnpaw. Like she isn't supposed to be alive and she poses a threat to everyone. But how? What is she going to do?_

Swallowpaw laid up against Pineleaf and looked at him. _Why Fawnpaw? The way Pineleaf talks about her, she's gentle and cares deeply for everyone._

She sighed and mewed, "W-What do you think Fawnpaw will do when she finds out who put the foxglove seeds in her den?"

Pineleaf lowered his head and said darkly, "She isn't afraid to kill, I know that. I've seen it before."

Swallowpaw's eyes got wide and she gulped. Is she going to die by the claws of a medicine that just so happens to be her love's sister?


	30. Not One, But Two

**Author's Note: I think the real question is; does Pineleaf really know his sister well enough? Do you guys think that Fawnpaw has the guts to ever kill anyone?**

**Then again… the death of Snow must have hardened something inside of her.**

The voices came to him at night. They told him to protect Fawnpaw from Hawkheart. All he ever saw in the darkness were two blue eyes. In the morning, he watched as Twigtail walked out of the warriors den to sit at the large rock. Flamebranch stood up and walked out of the den tiredly.

_I have to tell her to stay away from Twigtail._ He thought as he walked over to the medicine den, _She trusts him too much._

He saw her back as she pawed at some poppy seeds. He breathed out a sigh of relief and flopped inside the medicine den. Flamebranch tilted his head and attempted to smile warmly at her. "Hey there, Fawnpaw! Do you know when you'll be getting your name?"

Without turning around, she snapped, "No, go away, I'm organizing the herbs. If they aren't in proper order, then a mistake could be very fatal." She set her paw on a clump of very, very dark blue seeds. "Why were they in here anyway?"

_ Flamebranch stood up and sniffed the seeds, noticing they had a trace of fish. Regardless, they_ are the common poppy seeds. "They're poppy seeds."

"I could have given her the wrong seeds." Fawnpaw said turning to face him, "They look very similar to poppy seeds."

He laid back down and crossed his paws, "What do foxglove seeds do?"

Fawnpaw stared at the seeds in misery, like guilt was eating her inside out. Then she shoved the seeds away as if they were poisonous to the touch. "They paralyze the cat's heart. That's how Tallpoppy died."

_Fawnpaw isn't stupid enough to make a mistake like that,_ he thought suddenly, _I have to tell her it couldn't be her. Besides, they did smell a little odd… _"Then another Clan must have snuck them in!" He said sharply, "It could be that stinking RiverClan coming back for more or maybe even ThunderClan stirring up trouble."

Then a familiar voice in the back of his head hissed quietly, _It could have been Twigtail. He is a horrible cat that could easily turn the Clan inside out._

" What if it was Twigtail?" Flamebranch responded in an echo to the voice, "He could poison ShadowClan inside out under our noses."

"Relax," Fawnpaw whispered, "It might be another Clan, but I very much doubt it was Twigtail."

Flamebranch's fur on the back of his neck rose higher. "Maybe you're putting too much trust into that rotten apple."

_He does love her. With a body like Twigpaw's…_ the voice went on, _and a beautiful form with Fawnpaw's, it won't be that hard for her to fall head over tails in love with him._

Flamebranch was shocked at the very idea of his medicine cat sister falling in love with a terrible cat like Hawkheart. He felt his eyes get wide. "W-Wait… are you falling in _love_ with him?"

Fawnpaw slightly blushed and ducked her lead. She laid back her ears and shuffled her paws. Is she really in love with him? If so, Flamebranch will have to keep her away from him!

"If Twigtail the fox heart so much as _touches_ my sister…" Flamebranch growled, "I'll rip his StarClan forsaken face off!"

"Shut up." She hissed suddenly. Flamebranch blinked then stood straight. "It wasn't Twigtail. I'll go ask him myself."

_Good job,_ the voice hissed, _You just encouraged her to get even closer to him._

_ Not directly…_ Flamebranch thought feverishly as she walked out of the den. He laid down in her nest and sniffed it. Her soft feathery scent as a kit has formed into something bitter and awful.

And the scent of raven has also disappeared.

He peeked out of the den to see her talking so calmly to Twigtail. Her tail lowered and her fur started to bristle.

He watched as they then both agreed to head into the medicine den together.

_It's almost as if Twigtail became her brother and you're just another tom in the Clan._ Sneered the voice and Flametail could picture a silhouette lashing their tail, _Are you really going to let her run off with that mange-pelt?_

Flamebranch narrowed his eyes and stared at the two cats as they walked out into the forest together. His pelt began to fume like his orange fur was made of real fire. He gasped in surprise when he felt a paw on his shoulder. He turned to see a large tom that looked like an exact reflection of Flamebranch, only this reflected tom had amber eyes like Pineleaf.

It was Starlingwing, and he dipped his head. Flamebranch lowered his face and asked, "Can Fawnpaw just run off like that in the woods with other toms?"

Starlingwing's whiskers twitched. "I was thinking that too. She has shown real potential of being a warrior. She just doesn't know it. I began to wonder if she's really meant to be a medicine cat. But then again, she's great with the herbs. She remembers them so smoothly."

"But she's dangerous with them." Pointed out Flamebranch. He didn't feel like defending his sister at the moment, yet he didn't want to reveal about her fatal mistake with the foxglove seeds. Starlignwing sat down with his son.

"Do you think Fawnpaw is meant to be a medicine cat?"

Flamebranch decided not to answer his dad's question. He didn't want to answer because even Flamebranch wasn't sure if his sister was meant for this destiny.

* * *

"I want to go with you guys to find the culprit." Flamebranch didn't know why. It was probably because he didn't want to catch his sister falling in love with Twigtail red-pawed.

Fawnpaw lashed her tail. "After what you said about Twigtail? I think not."

Twigtail rolled his eyes. "Flamebranch and I never saw eye-to-eye, but I do think he should come with us. Who knows? Maybe a patrol will attack us. Flamebranch is a good fighter, and I can hardly set a single claw scratch on him."

The darkness swirled around them. They all knew that the gathering was tonight and Flamebranch was invited for Fallenstar to finally announce that he and his brother are warriors. But Flamebranch lied to her, saying his stomach hurt.

Fawnpaw huffed. "You really want to find out who did this."

"I want to find out who messed with my sister." Flamebranch hissed quietly. He looked down on the camp. At the moment, the three cats were on the cleft above the camp hiding in the shadows. Only their green, blue, and brown eyes shining.

Twigtail set his tail on Fawnpaw's shoulder. Fawnpaw's fur smoothed out and she took a deep breath. Then she slowly nodded.

"Fantastic," purred Flamebranch. I love how you and I always leave out Pineleaf."

"He doesn't need to know. He's innocent enough already. All three of our paws are bloodied with something."

Twigtail looked down at his paw, clearly remembering when he murdered that ShadowClan she-cat so far back when he was Hawkheart. He glanced back up at the siblings and nodded. "Let's head out then, right now while the Clan is at the gathering."

The three cats then slinked off into the shadows. Flamebranch occasionally glanced at Twigtail and threw cold glares at him. Twigtail only replied with a simple smile and a sneaky look over at Flamebranch's dappled sister.

The scent of RiverClan slowly grew stronger as they approached the border. Fawnpaw stuck her nose in the air and said quietly, "It's weak. It's almost as if they haven't patrolled this part of the territory for several sunrises. I wonder if anything serious is going on."

"The only real serious thing," started Flamebranch, "Is that some filthy fish-eating RiverClan cat has poisoned my Clan. I swear on my life I will find this cat and punish them."

"You're just a new warrior." Snorted Twigtail, "There isn't much you can do. What if this cat is a huge warrior? What if it's Mistystar herself?"

Fawnpaw rolled her eyes and continued to walk. "Twigtail, enough with your 'what if's. It's getting annoying at this point."

The cats fell silent. Then they padded on in the shadows. Flamebranch avoided his gaze to keep it from landing on Twigtail. He didn't want to end up in another argument. Besides, Fawnpaw will get angry at him, and nothing good comes from any of the siblings being angry at one another.

"Stop," hissed Twigtail. He got down into a battle position, "Someone is coming."

Flamebranch strained his ears for footsteps. He shoved Fawnpaw into a bush. She narrowed her eyes, but understood his message; _You have to stay safe._

A voice purred in his ears, _You must protect her best you can. I know two cats who want her dead._

Flamebranch winced then glanced at her. She is ducked low, and only the tips of her dark ears were visible. She noticed her ears were poking out and with a silent breath, she lowered them.

Then the footsteps became pounding on the grass. Twigtail unsheathed his claws. When a dark grey she-cat with a long tail and feathered ear tips came out from the shadows, she blinked her pale amber eyes and said rushed, "You're from ShadowClan, right?"

Flamebranch nodded slowly.

She narrowed her eyes. "Good. You should probably get to the gathering quickly. Serious things are going on with ShadowClan, RiverClan, and ThunderClan."

Flamebranch glanced at his sister then he pushed past the RiverClan she-cat. His ears folded back and his paws thumped against the ground. They splashed through the puddles dotting the ground and he raced across the tree bridge. He heard Fallenstar's voice cry out, "I feel the need to defend myself."

"You are slowly becoming more and more sadistic!" Howled a protestant voice, "It will get to the point when you'll go mad and kill off the gimpy kits."

Flamebranch shoved past a snarling golden tabby tom. A grey she-cat with darker ragged stripes perked her ears and raised a paw. She looked over at a black and white patched tom next to her. Flamebranch stole a glance at the couple. The grey tabby had her tail twined with the black and white tom, and this tom just so happened to be Swift.

Flamebranch sat down next to the tom. Flamebranch stared up at Bramblestar and Mistystar snapping in protests at Fallenstar.

"She's turning bloodthirsty," snarled the golden tabby, "I heard that she has torn apart a raven in the middle of the camp that her daughter has sheltered. She ordered her deputy to kill it slowly right in front of her. Her daughter no less!"

The grey tabby with amber eyes looked at her father and set her paw on his. Swift sighed and turned his head to Flamebranch. "How goes it?" He asked, "I finally got my warrior name. I am officially now Swiftshade." He turned back up to the arguing leaders, "But now isn't the time to rejoice. The clouds are beginning to block out the moon."

Without warning, Reedtail from the bottom of the tree shouted out, "Fallenstar needs to b brought down!"

"These are wild rumors," Fallenstar said with a stern voice.

"What about your darker secrets?" Mistystar asked frostily, "I know that you have murdered Robinwing brutally during that battle. On a patrol to smooth things out, I have heard your cries declaring you will make our Clan suffer. It sounded like you were eager and you thirsted for blood. What leader does that?"

Bramblestar lowered his ears and glared at the brown and cream tabby, "I know you have murdered your daughter's raven. You told your deputy to tear it apart in front of her. I would bet a moon's worth of mice that there's still blood in your camp."

Fallenstar stayed silent. She sat down and flicked her ear. She scanned her green gaze across the Clans, and it had clearly landed on Flamebranch. Her eyes softened. Then they flickered over to Fawnpaw and Twigtail just now entering the gathering with the RiverClan she-cat following. She wiped a paw across her face and said in a smooth voice, "Then if you are hinting for a war, then a war you shall earn."

Bramblestar's ears perked up. "W-What?"

She stared directly at him and stood up, "Are you afraid of my brave warriors? Tell me; are you asking for a war?"

"Do it, Bramblestar!" Yowled a cream colored tom with a stubby tail, "Don't let that mange-pelt scare you away."

Fallenstar's face stayed stone cold. However, Flamebranch saw that her tail was twitching. Then she sighed and meowed clearly, "I am not afraid of you, Bramblestar. If you are going to punish me for being a leader teaching her Clan to defend itself, then so be it."

"I'm not asking for a war!" Bramblestar snapped as his dark brown fur began to bristle. Fallenstar smiled.

Mistystar turned her head away. "I'm done with wars." Then she snapped, "Gathering is over."

All the leaders except for Fallenstar came down the tree. She stayed at the thought staring at the clouded sky.

As all the Clans parted away with narrowed eyes and snarls tossed at one another. Flamebranch peered through the crowd to see Pineleaf nuzzle that dark blue she-cat named Swallowpaw. Then she darted off. Finally, only Starlingwing, Fallenstar, Twigtail, Fawnpaw, Pineleaf, and Flamebranch remained on the island. All the cats instinctively got into a circle.

Fallenstar tossed her stare at all the gathered cats. "Why are you here, Twigtail?"

He didn't say a word. Instead, his fur began to prickle and he showed a few teeth. Fallenstar looked back at her family. Then she said in a sickly voice, "Am I really bloodthirsty?"

"Don't even ask that." Hissed Starlingwing. He wrapped his paw around her back, "You are only buckling underneath the pressure. Maybe you should let Oakfur handle leadership for a while for you."

"N-No, the only reason I became leader was because Blackstar looked too deep into that prophecy. All I was meant to be was a messenger at the great battle. He looked even deeper and made me deputy. Then he had to fall off of that log." Her gaze landed on the tree bridge. "He made me deputy much too early, as well as being a warrior."

Starlingwing set his muzzle onto her shoulder.

She shivered. Then the leader took a deep breath and told Twigtail in a shaky breath, "Twigtail, I want you to go back to the camp. This will be a personal family meeting."

Twigtail's fur flattened. Then he dipped his head and sprinted across the bridge to catch up to the Clan.

Fallenstar shut her eyes and buried her face in her mate's fur, "I have something very important I need to tell all of you." She looked up at Starlingwing, "Promise me that you will still love me after this."

He pulled her closer, "No matter what, you will still be you, and my love will remain."

Fallenstar nuzzled all of her kits in turn. She lowered her head and lack back her ears, "This will be very important and very, very secret. If you tell anyone, I'll not be deemed for leadership." She watched as each of her kits nodded. Then she smiled and wiped away a tear in her eye. "So… remember that story of a cat named Skyfall that was a twoleg but then became a cat by the lake?"

Flamebranch nodded, curious to where this could go.

"I didn't want to tell you until you were much older, but _I _am Skyfall. I only reversed the name order. I was Fallensky. I was a twoleg until I was hit with a twoleg monster."

Flamebranch stared in shock, paralyzed to the spot. At this point, he was sure that his mother has truly lost his mind. Even Starlingwing was staring at her oddly. But no one responded to her.

She continued softly, "StarClan has summoned me as I fell into a deep slumber to be a shining star to the Clans. My twoleg name was Autumn. When I awoke by the lake…" she smiled at Starlingwing, "You, Redwillow, and Tawnypelt found me eating your fish."

He forced a purr of laughter. But he looked at his children with eyes that read, _She's insane._

"Blackstar has heard of a prophecy about me who has simply fallen out of the sky. So he has named me Fallenpaw. A few moons later, I killed a fox. He has deemed me fit to be a warrior by then; much too early. I was a warrior for a while, but when Flametail died, I have fallen into a deep depression. It lasted so long-"

"We know the rest of the story." Weakly purred Fawnpaw. She nuzzled her nose into her mother's mane, "and I for one believe you."

Fallenstar stared at her. "B-But a twoleg becoming a cat? Why _would_ you believe me?"

"Because I have broken the laws of nature twice. I should know that you can bring someone dead back to life. I mean, you even being alive is breaking nature's careful plans."

Fallenstar smiled at her daughter. A tear shimmered in her eyes, "Thank you so much, Fawnpaw. I love you so much, and it relieves me that you know I am telling the truth." She turned over to Starlingwing, "What about you? Do you believe me?"

The ginger tom backed away. Fallenstar blinked her eyes and reached out a paw. Her face contorted into a sad frown, "What's wrong?"

Starlingwing shook his head. "I promised I'd still love you, but this is too insane to believe."

"Starlingwing…" moaned Fawnpaw.

"I need time to think about this." He said. He took several paces back.

Fawnpaw broke away from her mother and shouted, "You don't believe your beautiful mate that you are even grateful to have!? She was brought back to life as a twoleg, and I'm perfectly fine with that. But the very fact that you don't believe her is madness."

"The fact I _would_ believe her is madness." The tabby said sadly. He shuffled his paws.

Fawnpaw leaped forward and pinned down her father. Pineleaf gasped in shock and sniffed. Flamebranch darted forward to tear her off, "Come on, get off of him!"

"You don't believe her!? I know she's telling the truth, because Twigtail is a living example he is a cat brought back from the dead!"

Starlingwing quit struggling. His amber eyes were in pure shock. He wriggled out of her grasp and asked in a feverish tone, "W-Why? Twigtail is alive and with us! H-He can't be-"

"He is." Then she looked away, "Kind of. I mean…"

Pineleaf slapped his tail over her mouth, "You aren't going to tell them _how _he's alive, are you?"

Fawnpaw lashed her tail and shoved it away. But in response, she stared at him sadly. "I'm sorry. Too many secrets have slipped out tonight."

Fallenstar stomped her paw on the ground. Fawnpaw gasped in surprise and stared at her shocked and angry mother. "Tell me how he's still alive."

The dappled she-cat tore away her eyes. Then she said in a rushed stream of words, "IstuffedaStarClancatnamedHawkheartintohisbodyit'salongstory."

Fallenstar took a moment to decipher her daughter's words. Then she lowered her tail and said, "So Twigpaw is really resting in StarClan then? The real Twigpaw?"

Starlingwing licked his mate's cheek, "I'm sorry. But I need to think about this for a little bit. We aren't splitting up. I just need… I need to digest all of this." Then he ran off into the darkness.

Flamebranch kind of wanted to find the culprit of the foxglove seeds, but he got more than he bargained for; the reveal of a dark secret and another learning that he isn't who he really is. He shuddered. He isn't sure if this means he's half twoleg at this point. He turned his head to Fallenstar. "Does this mean we're half twoleg?"

She shook her head. "I don't think so. I was reborn into a new body."

Fawnpaw narrowed her eyes and peered at Fallenstar's body. "I'd like to inspect you later."

She tilted her head. "Why is that?"

"It has something to do with Hawkheart's past and his grudge with ShadowClan. Curiosity got the better of me…"

A silence followed, and eventually in the freezing darkness, the now (mostly) secret relieved family walked off of the gathering island. Flamebranch asked Fawnpaw to lag behind a bit. She did so and he ducked his head and quickly asked, "What do you think about her body?"

As Fawnpaw walked, she didn't make eye contact. She simply stated, "Hawkheart said something about a cat he murdered named Hazelstripe. It provoked my curiosity. I'll have to ask him if he can tour me through StarClan to meet his cat."

Flamebranch hung his head. "I'm a bit shellshocked for tonight. I just need to rest for a while before learning your silly plan. We'll go after the foxglove culprit after your thing."

Fawnpaw nodded and went up ahead, and stayed close to Fallenstar.

_They're all crazy!_ Said a voice in the back of his head, _You need to swallow them up eventually and set things correctly._

_ But I love them,_ said Flamebranch in his mind.

The voice then snarled, _Tell me why you'd love these insane cats…_


	31. Tiny Trampling Hooves

**Author's Note: I'm sorry about skipping around the timelines so much. There's just a lot of stuff that need to be cleared up. This will be the last chapter skipping around. This one takes place before Swallowpaw put the foxglove seeds in the ShadowClan camp.**

A grey she-cat named Willowshine laid down in her nest and closed her eyes, only to be immediately swathed in stars.

She opened her pale blue eyes to see two medicine cats standing before her. She knew this because they reeked of herbs, but they both also had separate Clan scents underneath those herbs.

One tom was taller but he was consistently sniffling his nose. He was jet black with a white chest and ears. His orange eyes glowed brightly in the starlight. The other tom was a thick furred muscular tom with shining green eyes. His mud colored brown fur was ruffled and covered in battle scars.

Willowshine nodded at them. These cats have come to her for a dark reason. The black and white tom was clearly from ShadowClan, and the brown tom was from RiverClan.

The black and white sniffling tom stepped up and said in a soft voice, "My name is Runningnose, I was the medicine cat before Littlecloud. And the tom beside me is Mudfur, the medicine cat before Mothwing."

Willowshine smiled. "I am willing to do anything for StarClan. Name what you want me to do."

Runningnose looked grimly at Mudfur. Then he sniffled, "You aren't concerned why two medicine cats of different Clans come to you?"

Willowshine looked back up and purred, "Not at all. All the medicine cats are united. We all heal and read signs from StarClan. So go ahead and tell me what it is I have to do."

Mudfur sat down and curled his fluffy tail over his paws. "The medicine cat apprentice of Littlecloud is a lawbreaker of nature. She has brought a dead cat back to life, and she has taken care of her prey. If this keeps up, both Fawnpaw and her brother will bring down the forest. One going insane and the other will fall into a whirlpool of broken laws. The third will helplessly be burnt alive by the flames of his brother."

Runningnose wiped his paw across his nose and meowed, _"The new flame is alive and hungry, and the deer breaks her own laws, and the forest itself will burn alive."_

Willowshine shuffled her grey paws and stared at them in pure shock. "A-Are you saying I have to kill Fallenstar's children before they cause trouble for everyone? But Fawnpaw is such a great medicine cat. Littlecloud will become lost without her. He has already lost one apprentice, and I am not willing to kill another."

Mudfur lowered his head. "She is a fine medicine cat, but everyone will be trampled underneath her hooves. Unless she is put down, there is no stopping her. She will go mad along with her brother."

She blinked and thought about it for a moment. What will they do if Littlecloud then dies with no apprentice to pass down his words? He is a very old and dying cat. But if StarClan decreed that Fawnpaw and her sibling is to die, then so be it. Willowshine will loyally follow out those orders. The knowledge of Littlecloud's oncoming pain chewed out her stomach.

"I will drive her to suicide," she said sadly, "But I will not directly kill her. I hope you understand that."

Runningnose sighed. "I do not want to see her die, but she poses a threat too great for the Clans to bear."

Mudfur stepped back. "Good luck, Willowshine. And StarClan will carefully monitor your steps."

* * *

She gasped awake and looked around the darkness of the den frantically. She looked to Mothwing and exhaled deeply.

_I have to kill Fawnpaw in order to protect the forest._

She stood up from her nest and walked out of the camp. Her pelt brushed against the reeds in her territory. The wet ground mushed underneath her paws. She looked up to the skies in search for inspiration.

Suddenly, a shout of pain startled her. Willowshine turned her head to the direction of the shout. She scrambled to her paws and sprinted as fast as she could. But her heavy paws drug her down. Another squeak of pain, followed by a painful moan.

She bursted into a clearing to see a large russet furred animal. It's back leg was caught in a twoleg trap made of silver teeth. The fox whimpered in pain and stared at her. It looked almost as if it was begging her to end its dreadful pain.

Willowshine stepped back from the fox. She looked around then watched as the russet colored animal slowly bled out its life. Finally, the creature gave out one final breath and lowered its head, blood pooling around the leg.

_A fox._

She set her paw on the neck to feel no pulse. Suddenly, a burst of shock filled her body. She quickly retracted her paw and stared at it.

She looked back up to see a small clump of tall pink cup shaped flowers with very dark blue seeds inside. Willowshine scooped her paws into the flower and stared at the seeds. Then she glanced back to see only the paw of the fox has been trapped. Almost like a glove.

_Fox gloves._

She glanced up at the stars then back down at the seeds.

_Foxglove seeds. These seeds paralyze the heart and kills the cat in a slow, painful way._ Willowshine realized the fox has died incredibly slowly in the twoleg trap.

It then dawned on Willowshine that the way to murder Fawnpaw was to feed her foxglove seeds.

She quickly wrapped them up in a beech leaf packet and rushed back to the RiverClan camp. She darted into the apprentice den.

_I have to send out Swallowpaw. If she gets caught in ShadowClan, then the Clan will pity her for being half-clan. Sparrowfang will welcome her into the Clan without a single trace of hesitation._

Then she grimly smirked. Maybe she could blackmail her as well. Perhaps Willowshine can tell Swallowpaw that she's going to tell the entire Clan about her little new moon meetings with that ShadowClan tom named Pinepaw.

One night, while she was searching for herbs along the border, she found Swallowpaw on the half-bridge talking in hushed voices with Pinepaw.

So Willowshine walked into the apprentice den and nudged Swallowpaw awake. The dark blue she-cat rolled over and blinked her tired eyes. "What?"

"Come with me, I need you."

Swallowpaw slowly stood up and followed Willowshine into the medicine den. Willowshine said in a rushed voice, "Fawnpaw has to die, according to StarClan." She looked around the den quickly to make sure Mothwing wasn't awake or any other cat was listening to her. She pushed the beech leaf packet full of foxglove seeds. "These are foxglove seeds, put this in the ShadowClan camp. We have to emotionally cripple _her_ to the point of suicide. If she stays alive, then this forest will be broken down."

Slowly, Swallowpaw set her snowy white paw on the beech leaves and looked up at Willowshine with curious, yet somewhat sad looking eyes. "But isn't this wrong?"

Willowshine narrowed her eyes and said coldly, "So is what you do at every new moon." She has obviously referred to her meetings with Pinepaw. Swallowpaw stared in shock for a moment then she dipped her head solemnly. Willowshine smiled and purred, "Make sure you mix it in with the poppy seeds. If we're lucky enough then she'll eat them herself."

"Why me?" Swallowpaw asked suddenly, "I don't want anything to do with this."

"It'll work just fine, I have my inner reasons." Willowshine glanced at Mothwing for a moment, hearing a loud snore.

"Is this because of my mother's plan?" Swallowpaw replied in a dark voice. Her dark blue fur was now beginning to bristle, and Willowshine knew that it was about time the apprentice scuttled along on the path to ShadowClan.

Willowshine decided not to say anything. She only lightly pushed Swallowpaw out of the den and gave her the packet, "Just get it in the camp. Rub yourself in the stream or roll around in a patch of mushrooms before proceeding."

Then she watched as the she-cat ran off into the night.

_Was that the right thing to do?_ She asked laying her head on her paws, _Is Fawnpaw really meant to die?_

She heard Mothwing wake up. Willowshine faced her mentor and then shock rippled through her body. Mothwing's eyes shined with disappointment. The golden-brown tabby she-cat stood up and sat down next to Willowshine.

"Why would you kill Fawnpaw?"

Willowshine shuffled her paw nervously and licked her chest before saying, "I-I'm sorry, StarClan told me to kill her because she will bring suffering and destruction to the forest."

Mothwing frowned and lashed her tail. "I am disappointed in you. If StarClan ever tells you to kill someone, don't do it. You can only sit and wait and see if they will cause pain."

"What do you know?" Asked Willowshine frostily, "You only think that StarClan is a bunch of white dots in the sky."

"That changed after the great battle." Mothwing replied, "I have seen StarClan with my own eyes. And the battle was many moons ago. But I do know one thing, no matter what StarClan tells you, you don't kill other cats."

Willowshine's eye twitched in frustration. "I am StarClan's loyal servant. It is my destiny to listen to what they have to say." And with that, Willowshine curled up in her nest and shut her eyes, "And it is my destiny to see to it that Fawnpaw dies."


	32. The Heart Tugging Chain

**Author's Note: And let the insanity ensue! Try to take a wild guess who the voice in Flamebranch's head is? Is this voice just an echo of his mind? Or is it perhaps some StarClan cat? :)**

**Oh… or maybe even a remaining Dark Forest cat?**

Pineleaf watched as snow drifted down from the skies. It's been quarter moon ever since Fallenstar and Fawnpaw both revealed their darker sides at the gathering island. Luckily, Starlingwing has finally managed to accept that Fallenstar is really a twoleg at heart, and he still loves her.

Pineleaf still has a hard time wrapping his mind around what has happened at that island. He'll never understand how any of this has happened, and he doesn't _want_ anything to do with dark magic anymore. He is done doing dark deeds for his sister behind the scenes. He wants to live a happy life.

The brown tabby sprinted over to Flamebranch who was chatting it up with Emberkit and Jaykit about what it's like to be a warrior.

"I don't want to take care of the Clan." Snorted Jaykit, "All I want is to fight bad guys."

"You'll do that too." Reassured Flamebranch with an eye twitch.

Emberkit rolled his eyes, "Yeah, but patrolling the borders is boring. Who wants to argue where that tiny scent mark was?"

Pineleaf looked down at his paws. He shuffled them and thought about Swallowpaw for a little bit. Her beautiful blue pelt and her sweet, calming minty eyes.

"H-Hey Pineleaf,"

The dark brown tom turned his head to see a slightly shorter chestnut tabby she-cat with a white belly and paws. She laid back her ears and averted her olive green gaze. It was Plumpaw.

Pineleaf smiled warmly. "How is your training with Fallenstar going?"

"She's really nice, but kind of snaps occasionally." She wrapped her shaking tail around her paws, "I mean, she has been snapping a lot more ever since the gathering, and she seems kind of depressed. I wanted to ask you why she seems like that."

Pineleaf perked his ears and stared down at the ground. What should he tell her? He cleared his throat and responded, "Fallenstar must be getting really stressed out lately."

"I guess so." Plumpaw refused to make eye contact. She lifted up her paw and glanced at him. "Do you know when I'll finally be a warrior?"

Pineleaf shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. Fallenstar really doesn't tell me these things. I could ask her if you wanted me to."

Plumpaw had a tiny smile crack her usually stern and frowning muzzle, "That would be really nice of you."

"I think she's in the leader's den with Fawnpaw." Pineleaf stood up, "Just stay right here while I go and ask." So Pineleaf turned to the giant pine tree with sprawling roots that invested in the area. Between two thick roots, was a large spacious den. Pineleaf squeezed his body inside and spotted Fallenstar speaking to Fawnpaw.

Fawnpaw nodded and meowed, "That's what I think, anyway. I need Twigtail and I need to do a little more investigating."

Fallenstar sighed. "I still don't see how Hawkheart himself got into StarClan."

"He couldn't have been all bad. If I took a good guess, I'm going to say he probably just _barely _got into StarClan."

She nodded in return. "Seems plausible."

Pineleaf cleared his throat. Both Fawnpaw and Fallenstar turned over to face him. Pineleaf's tail twitched as he walked up to Fallenstar. He blinked his amber eyes and meowed, "Fallenstar, when will Plumpaw and Duckpaw become warriors?"

The leader tilted her head. "I was planning for them to become warriors as soon as newleaf comes. They still got a little while to go."

Pineleaf purred and thanked his mother. Then he walked back out of the den to see Plumpaw pacing in the same spot. He bounded over to her and grinned widely. Plumpaw stared at him with those ever inquiring eyes. "She told me that you'll be a warrior this upcoming newleaf."

Plumpaw exhaled. She twitched her ear. Then she ducked down to nervously lick her chest. "I see." She turned her head away, "Um, Fallenstar was going to take me out for training tonight. I was wondering if you'd like to help me train."

Pineleaf took a step back, and suddenly thought of his upcoming meeting with Swallowpaw. So he looked away and said apologetically, "Sorry, Plumpaw. I got something planned for tonight." Yet he said those words almost absentmindedly; obliviously. Plumpaw was trying her best to hide the tears blocking her mind; it was blocking off the intelligence and made her think normally for once.

"O-Oh. Okay then…"

He waved his paw, as if dismissing it's no big deal to just say no. He just doesn't know how much saying those words hurt her.

* * *

Seeing Swallowpaw at the half-bridge nearly threw his heartbeat off of alignment. He sprinted over to her. Her beautiful blue and white fur was covered in molten moonlight, as if her body was made of thousands of tiny fireflies. When she turned her lovely minty gaze to him, Pineleaf gulped. She has grown so sleek and her smile wider than ever. How odd, her grin was reminiscent to Plumpaw's…

"Hi, Pineleaf!" She said still smiling.

Pineleaf trotted over to her and sat down on the wood. Without hesitating, he began to twine his tail with hers. Swallowpaw closed her eyes and rested her head against his shoulder. Pineleaf purred and loved the feeling of fur rubbing against his.

"I got my warrior name yesterday evening." She meowed calmly, "My name is now Swallowdrift."

Pineleaf gulped and forced himself to pull away. "T-That's a beautiful name."

She tilted her head. "Beautiful?"

Pineleaf looked away. He supposed it was finally time to tell her how he felt about her. His heart was slamming against his rib cage, and his paws felt so clammy. His tail slowly unwoven from hers. She was still looking at him with those crisp minty eyes. It's been many moons since they have began to meet. Now snow surrounded them and ice covered the lake. Pineleaf shivered and said slowly, "I think I love you, Swallowdrift. And I was wondering if you had the same feelings for me."

The she-cat blinked her eyes. While Pineleaf was flinching, waiting for her to reject him, yelling, and run off into the forest to never want to meet him ever again.

Then her voice filled his ears, "Yes. Pineleaf, I feel the same way."

Pineleaf perked his ears. He faced her smiling face. He gently licked her cheek and pressed closely to her. "That's a load off of my shoulders."

"I'd run away with you," she said quietly, "But I am bound by destiny to become the leader of RiverClan some day. I am also –unfortunately- bound to become mates with Shadefish. He got his name a little after Tallpoppy died."

"S-Shadefish…?"

"Ever since I became an apprentice," she started, "Troutstream told me that I am bound to become his mate. It has been arranged since the moment my eyes opened. She just waited to tell me." Then she bore her teeth in a snarl, "I wish she'd just find a new mate and stop doting over me and have a new litter of kits. I am repeatedly being told that I'm her 'pride and joy'."

Pineleaf moved a little farther away, his heart shattering, piece by piece. "Do you love Shadefish back?"

"No." She hissed, "I don't. In fact, I hate him. I'd hate him less if he didn't try to hard to vouch for my attention. He wears a mask all the time. Inside, he really doesn't care for me. He only pretends for the love of my Clan. His name should have been Shademask."

Pineleaf purred and rubbed her muzzle, "Let's run away then. Just you and me, together."

She gently pushed him away. "I don't like it, but my path is to the leadership of RiverClan. It's to be a puppet of Troutstream and Mistystar. It's to live a life with Shadefish and bear his kits." She lowered her ears, "I've already been threatened by the medicine cat to do her bidding. She knows about our meetings."

Pineleaf opened his mouth to say, "If that's your path, then my path is to break the warrior code every night and fall in love with you again and again."

"Maybe we should move on." She whispered, "Troutstream is my mother, and I love her very much. I have to live up to her expectations."

"What about me?" He asked suddenly, "What about _my_ feelings? I-I want to live with you." He blushed and ducked his head, "I want to be by your side for the rest of my life." His love was so strong, his heart was pounding, and it was ready to fly out of his chest. But Swallowdrift gently handled their love like a baby bird, and it frustrated Pineleaf.

She purred and curled her tail around his paws, "I wait for the day that Shadefish declares himself to become my mate. Until that day comes, I will meet you at the half-bridge."

Pineleaf wiped away a stray tear. He doesn't want to tear apart from her. Pineleaf wants to be her loving mate and father to her kits. Then he unsheathed his claws. "I will find a loophole for us. In the warrior code, there has to be something that will allow us to be together."

"That's nice of you." She meowed leaning against him once more. Their love was like a chain; no matter how hard they tried to pull away in sake of loyalties and destiny, they couldn't break it.

**Author's Note: Check out the poll on my profile. It's a pretty serious question regarding both this and Fallenstar's Fate. So PLEASE vote!**


	33. Stockholm Syndrome's Bad Habit

"I've done this before with Flamebranch." Said Fawnpaw to Twigtail, "It was the night I signed that deal of blood."

Twigtail chuckled and sat down in his nest. "So it was that scrap of mouse dung's presence I felt while speaking to you? I thought I was just crazy."

"The mist was too thick for him." She sighed, "He doubts StarClan a lot, so there's a weaker connection for him."

"Fawnpaw!" Cried out Littlecloud, "We're heading out to moonpool now."

She raised her head and replied, "I'm coming!" Then she turned back to Twigtail, "When all of the medicine cats are asleep, just lay down next to me. When we're there, you can guide me through StarClan to meet Hazelstripe."

Twigtail smiled and swiped his tail across her chin, "Sure thing, darling. Let's go meet the cat that is almost completely faded out from existence." Then he grinned even wider, "However, it turns out that we probably won't even find her."

"W-Why?"

"Fawnpaw!" Cried out Littlecloud once more.

Fawnpaw blushed and raced out of the warriors den. She caught up with the short swirling tabby tom. He looked at her with a look of suspicion on his face. Fawnpaw didn't look at him.

After a little while of walking, she scented RiverClan. She turned around to see a sleek dark grey tabby she-cat with shining grass green eyes. It was Willowshine, and next to her was a golden brown tabby she-cat. The RiverClan cats raced up to meet Littlecloud and Fawnpaw. Willowshine stared at Fawnpaw oddly.

After a short greet, they walked on to the moonpool, not meeting Bramblestar and Jayfeather. They most likely have set off early.

"How are you, Fawnpaw?" Meowed Willowshine. Fawnpaw looked over at her.

The dappled she-cat blinked. Something seemed off about Willowshine. Fawnpaw simply replied, "I'm fine."

"Tallpoppy's death was unfortunate." She mewed almost… coldly.

Fawnpaw nodded in response.

"How did she die?"

Fawnpaw suddenly felt awkward. Does it really matter how she has died? She looked away and said in a nearly sad voice, "Heart paralysis."

"Oh, only foxglove seeds could do that." She said sympathetically. Mothwing glared at her apprentice but Willowshine ignored her.

"Y-Yeah…"

"Do you think you mistook them for poppy seeds?"

Fawnpaw stared at her suspiciously. "Why are you asking me so much? It was Tallpoppy's time anyway."

The cats reached moonpool and Fawnpaw looked far back to see Twigtail's blue eyes following them. Littlecloud stood in the center of the bunched together cats and purred to his apprentice, "I believe it is time for your ceremony."

Kestrelflight stood up proudly and meowed as well, "I believe it is also time for Tunnelpaw to earn her name."

The golden she-cat with bright blue eyes rolled her eyes and grinned. "About time you say that."

Littlecloud cleared his throat and said to Fawnpaw as she shuffled her paws, "StarClan, hear my call and heed them as you look down on this apprentice. Fawnpaw has trained hard and long to learn the ways of the medicine cat. I now fully name you Fawndapple. May StarClan respect shine down and light your path onward."

Littlecloud stepped down and let Kestrelflight name his apprentice. "StarClan, Tunnelpaw has trained for many moons to heal and preserve the life of WindClan. She has saved Onestar not once, but twice from a devastating sickness that could easily have taken his life. Tunnelpaw, from this day onward, you will be known as Tunnelwing. StarClan, take care of this young apprentice."

"Fawndapple, Tunnelwing! Fawndapple, Tunnelwing!" Cried out the medicine cats. Fawndapple detected a familiar whisper; the voice of Twigtail. She smiled in his direction; his blue eyes shining like the moonpool itself.

Bramblestar grinned. "I believe it is time for us to commune with StarClan?"

Jayfeather nodded. "For Briarlight of course." Then all the cats, one by nose licked up a droplet of water and slowly nodded off. Fawndapple held off the tiredness for a while. She felt the warm pelt of Twigtail press up against hers. She blushed and fell into the darkness.

Her eyes flickered open to the grinning face of a unsaturated brown tom with splashes of grey and sun yellow eyes. She gasped and backed up for a second before realizing it's just Hawkheart. She breathed out a sigh of relief and stood up.

"I guess since your spirit is really Hawkheart, you wouldn't exactly look like Twigpaw in StarClan."

"Exactly." He purred. He looked around. "If I remember correctly, a cat of StarClan is supposed to welcome you into the ranks of a full medicine cat."

But it seemed as though no cats at all were around. It was just Fawndapple and Hawkheart. Slowly, it dawned on Fawndapple that the cat meant to welcome her was Hawkheart himself. She stood up and took a bow. Hawkheart looked at her in confusion. Then he realized as well he is the cat supposed to welcome her.

He beamed and dipped his head. "You are now Fawndapple, the medicine cat of ShadowClan." Then he got serious. He cleared his throat and ducked his head, obviously hiding a blush. "I guess we're… I guess we're going to find Hazelstripe now."

"You said yourself that she's not going to be here. Why is that?"

Hawkheart tilted his head. "You never seen her, but I have. Hazelstripe looks exactly like Fallenstar in every way. My guess is that she's reincarnated since I killed her."

Fawndapple shook her head, "Sorry, but I'm thinking differently. Just don't tell anyone, but she was born as a twoleg then was killed. Apparently she was reborn as a cat."

"The cat she was reborn as has to be the reincarnation of Hazelstripe." He snorted, "StarClan can't make a body appear out of thin air. That's why I had you to stuff me into Twigpaw's broken body."

Fawndapple lashed her tail. "I guess so. Would her being reborn maybe explain why you are destined to meet me?" She gasped and grinned. She got closer to him and as a smile played across her muzzle, "Or maybe you secretly wanted to apologize to Fallenstar to murdering her. Is that it? Knowing you; neither Hawkheart or Twigtail are big tough toms. In truth, you're both soft baby birds."

"Y-Yeah? So what? I might have tried to apologize to her, only to run into you and feel my anger for ShadowClan become refueled. How was I supposed to know that she happened to have a kit?"

Fawndapple set her paw on his. They both blushed. "You aren't as bad as you think you are, Hawkheart."

Hawkheart's eyes slit, but his face was bright red.

Fawndapple tried to hide her face made of lava, "At first I hated you, but I think I developed a liking to you." She tilted her head, "After that hate went away and I got to know you, I slowly realized that you're the greatest thing to ever happen to me."

Hawkheart pulled away. He turned around and not facing her, he said like there was a wall between them, "I'm too old for you."

Fawndapple purred. And she pulled up along his fur. "Not anymore. Once a cat dies, they are paralyzed in the happiest moment of their life. You aren't _that_ old."

"I died as a heartbroken coward that ending up hating the world," he snarled, "I don't love you. Only this wretched body loves you. This love won't go away. It's only getting stronger and stronger."

"That's because you are the one making it stronger." Fawndapple meowed rubbing up against him. She wanted to stop herself from falling in love, but it happened anyway. Littlecloud told her that falling out of love is hard. You have to force yourself that they're just a Clanmate and it'll never work. But will it work if this cat turns out to be a ghost?

Suddenly, Hawkheart whirled around and nuzzled her. Fawndapple's heart pounded ferociously. Then she meowed silently, "It is a shame I'm not a warrior, isn't it?"

"Yes." He said in a frosty voice. But underneath that frost, was love. She felt it ring in his voice. Without a second thought, she wrapped her tail into the transparent ghostly form of Hawkheart's tail. They both nuzzled each other.

"I can't help it," she mewed in a sappy voice, "I-I can't stop it…"

"Me neither." He said as his body began to shake, "But it's time to wake up and stomp out our feelings. I'm sorry." Then he slowly faded away, proving his point as he began to wake up. When his warmth left her entirely, she suddenly felt empty and lost.

She nearly jumped up when she felt a paw on her shoulder. She shivered and turned around to see Jayfeather. The tom's usually slightly cloudy blue eyes were now crystal clear and hypnotizing. Then he said calmly, "I see you love a ghost."

"So? According to the medicine cat code, I am within my rights. It's impossible for him to be my mate." However, she's lying quite a bit. Jayfeather doesn't know this ghost has a body of his own.

Jayfeather lashed his tail. "Don't love a ghost." He said it like he's had experience with this situation, "It only leads to pain and longing."

Fawndapple looked away. "Not for me it doesn't." Only to result in her slamming awake by the moonpool. It was much earlier than she thought it would be.

It took a moment to register that she's awake. She stood up on wobbly legs to see that the other medicine cats are still asleep. Does she really love Hawkheart? Has she really gone so low to the point where the tom she hates became the lovely, handsome tom she wanted the most?

_Loving a ghost. Even more nature breaking._


	34. A Rotting Fox

**Author's Note: So much sap. Unfortunately, Flamebranch is too crazy to ever find love. Eh, two forbidden, insane lovers are definitely enough.**

**Another note, now that school is back in my region, I have to update a LOT slower. Maybe about once a week…? Updates will never go over a week. But if they do, it's because I'm either doing a big project for school or at some dance or whatever. So hang in there. 3**

Flamebranch flicked an ear and gazed at Fawndapple. His form was stoic, and he has grown colder. Yet inside of his mind, insanity took a firm root on his mind. And for some reason, he loved it.

"I'm not going to let you help me find the cat that put those foxglove seeds in the den." Fawndapple said sternly. She stood up and lashed her tail, "It's going to be just me and Twigtail."

Flamebranch's eyelid twitched. He smiled crookedly, "No, together, we can find this giving thief. J-Just you and me, like old times sake! Pineleaf isn't willing to go through with your dark deeds anymore, but I am. I will forever support you, dear sister."

They were all in the medicine den now. Twigtail growled and stood up, "You better not become involved with this. I know you got a few bees caught in your ears."

Fawndapple shuffled her paws, "I don't want you to ruin this."

Twigtail smirked and rested his tail across Fawndapple's shoulder. Fawndapple didn't look up at Flamebranch. Her gaze remained fixed on her paws. She laid back her ears and looked away. Flamebranch looked over at her with a look of betrayal shining in his eyes. He in turn, looked away and refused to make eye contact with her. If Fawndapple wanted to make this hard for them both, then so be it. Let's make this hard.

* * *

"That's crazy, Flamey." Said Pineleaf sternly while lashing his tail, "It'd be better to just let Fawndapple go with Twigtail."

Flamebranch hissed and swiped his tail across the dirt floor. It brushed lightly up against Birchwillow's muzzle, causing him to sneeze. Flamebranch narrowed his eyes and looked back up at his brother. "What if something happens to her?" He asked suddenly, "I don't want her life to end how it did with Ivytail and Toadfoot. She needs me to protect her."

Pineleaf bared his teeth and scored his claws down the earth, "I don't care myself whether or not she loves Twigtail, but I do know that she chooses her own path. If she chooses to continue going against nature, then so be it. I don't want to have any other part in that anymore."

"That's easy for you to say," snarled Flamebranch narrowing his green eyes, "You only have to worry about Swallowdrift and your own wounds. Unlike me, it is my destiny to protect this Clan." He smiled and dipped his head, "I can protect this Clan with a fire so bright-"

"The forest will burn down." Said Pineleaf curtly. Flamebranch's smile was wiped clean off his face. Pineleaf turned around and slowly blinked, "I should go now. I'm supposed to meet _her_ tonight."

Flamebranch tore past his so-called brother and gazed around the camp, hoping to catch a whiff of both Fawndapple and Twigtail. But all scent was wiped away. A slight rain began to drizzle down on the camp.

"Don't tear down the camp searching for them." Said Pineleaf rolling his eyes as he exited the den, "Leave them be."

"I can't leave her be. I don't trust Hawkheart."

"You mean Twigtail." Corrected Pineleaf.

Flamebranch didn't face his brother. He lashed his tail and said grimly, "No, I really mean Hawkheart."

Then he darted off into the woods, hoping that he'll find Fawndapple before claws will lash out and blood will fly.

He darted through the bushes and weaved through the trees as his paws thumped into the wet ground. The rain slowly became heavier and it made his orange fur sleek. His eyes narrowed, he pressed onward, searching desperately for his sister. He called out her name only to come with no other ended reply. But Flamebranch didn't lose hope. His will to find her was so strong he would kill Twigtail if he got the chance.

But if that were the case, then Hawkheart would go to StarClan and murder Flamebranch's namesake.

He didn't even blow away the thought that perhaps he wouldn't make Flametail disappear forever. He didn't want to consider that Fawndapple was correct about him not being as bad as the siblings have first perceived him as.

The rain tore down his back now, and he ignored it. Then he was suddenly hit with something hard; hail. It was now beginning to hail. He shook off the shards of ice littering his pelt and he drug on. The wind shifted and he looked up hopefully, happily watching a whiff of a familiar scent of bitter herbs and prey. It was Fawndapple.

He suddenly charged on in the woods, ignoring the thorns getting caught in his pelt. He gasped when he fell flat on his face once he leapt out of a bush and into a clearing. He sniffed the air and gagged, realizing he ended up in the RiverClan territory. He stood up carefully and then shockingly, he saw Fawndapple and Twigtail staring right at him. Twigtail was standing there casually, his gaze cold and his tail lashing while Fawndapple glared angrily at him. Her hackles raised. She moved away from Twigtail and marched right up to Flamebranch.

Flamebranch peeked over her shoulder and gasped, and began to gag when he saw a decomposing fox body caught in a silver jawed trap in the ground. Blood stained the ground, turning it into a sick shade of maroon. He lowered his ears and took a step back. Fawndapple was fuming with anger at this point. "What are you doing here!?"

Flamebranch gently pushed her away with a darker paw. "I'm here to separate you from Twigtail."

"Well, you're actually interfering with our investigation. I think I might have found something." She turned back over to the body with the area covered in the stench of death and rotting flesh. Flies buzzed around and Flamebranch swatted his tail against them.

Twigtail poked a paw at the fox's cheek. "Beside the fox, there is a patch of growing foxglove flowers." He smirked, "Coincidence? I don't think so. Knowing the ranks of StarClan; they're crazy enough to do this." He nodded, "I can see why they'd manipulate Willowshine."

"Willowshine?" Asked Fawndapple clearly surprised.

Twigtail turned to her and smiled as he kept his cool blue gaze. "Oh, I haven't told you. I should have told you earlier." He chuckled, "To me, this is a funny little game. I figured out it was Willowshine while the camp was sleeping a few sunrises ago. I wanted to get this done quickly as possible."

Fawndapple laid back her ears, "At least you could have told me you were going out."

He purred and swept his tail across the frosty ground, "Darling, you would have stopped me."

The dappled she-cat huffed and faced the stinking fox once more. "What's the sign?"

"On closer inspection, the fox has died a horrible, painful death." Twigtail tilted his head, "I know StarClan's crazy tricks. I never partook in them for the sake of WindClan. I just outright tell Onestar and Kestrelflight the oncoming trouble. I don't blather on in riddles." He stood up and licked his lips, "Anyway, the slow death shows that StarClan wants to give someone a very painful death."

"Why?" Asked Flamebranch keeping his fur flat, "StarClan is justified."

"There's a dark side to the moon." Twigtail hissed in return. He walked over to the foxglove flowers. He tilted one over and dark blue seeds poured out. "StarClan has punished many cats. They have struck that tree on the gathering island to smash Mudfur." He frowned, "They obviously didn't think I needed my mother to protect me from the endless bullying. I can name many other cats, but the list is endless. It seems as though StarClan wants to kill another cat, but they don't want their claws to be dirty."

Flamebranch tilted his head.

Going on, Twigtail snorted and said to himself, "Typical. Karma will bite them back one day."

Fawndapple began to growl, "So it was Willowshine?" She unsheathed her claws and bunched up her muscles.

Twigtail laughed and lashed his tail. "Oh, silly kitten. All of StarClan knows that she is willing to jump into the lake if we asked her to. If I were in a higher; much more respected rank of StarClan, then I wouldn't just go about willy nilly telling mortal cats to get their claws bloody. Unfortunately, I have never personally met her."

"Why not?" Asked Flamebranch narrowing his eyes, "She's a medicine cat like you used to be."

Twigtail rolled his eyes. "I was a medicine cat of _Wind_Clan bee-brain."

"So," Started Fawndapple stepping up firmly, "First of all, let's dispose of that body. Second, let's go pay a little visit to RiverClan." Then she ducked her head and mumbled, "I thought she was acting weird on the way to moonpool."

So the trio of cats each agreed to free the rotting fox from the trap. Flamebranch held back a lurch of bile when the back leg came off of the body, maggots writhing inside of the meat. Fawndapple looked a little sick as well. They dragged what's left of the body out of the territories. The smell of fish went away and twoleg cries got louder; signaling they were out of the territories. Flamebranch and the others dumped the body in a holly bush. Flamebranch quickly looked away before he could throw up all over the body.

Twigtail wrapped his paw around Flamebranch's shoulder while gently curling it around Fawndapple's chin. A smile curled his lips as he said coolly, "Time to confront the giving thief."


	35. When You Wish Upon a Star

**Author's Note: I love this so much. The shippings went absolutely marvelously! And I thank you guys for over 200+ reviews. For a prize, tell me who you'd like to see feature as a POV for a chapter. It shall be lovely…**

Pineleaf looked across the stream to see Swallowdrift gazing at him calmly. She lowered her face as they walked to the half-bridge together. Breaking the silence, she asked suddenly, "Have any other she-cats in your Clan start to chase after you?"

He shook his head in response. "As far as I know, I don't think so."

Swallowdrift shuffled her paws and gazed out across the iced lake. She shook her pelt and shivered. Pineleaf smiled and leaned up against her. But she didn't respond. Then she said in a hushed voice, "Shadefish asked to be my mate."

Pineleaf perked his ears. His amber eyes betrayed pain and longing for her. In that tin moment, his heart shattered. He lowered his tail. "R-Really?"

She nodded solidly.

Then he stood up proudly and said in a slightly shaky voice, "W-Well, we'll just have to make the best of this night, won't we? We can't just… just sit here and sulk and avoid eye contact." He furrowed his eyes, "This will be an amazing night. We won't just sit at the half-bridge and press up against one another. We have to go farther."

Her minty eyes got wide. "Like what?"

Pineleaf nodded off into the woods, "Act like innocent kits all night. I'll stay with you until daybreak." Then he gasped and hung his head, "I don't want to lose you to Shadefish."

Swallowdrift pressed her face into his fur, "Me neither. I feel exactly the same way. I don't want to break off communication even after I truly become mates with him."

Pineleaf grinned and pressed his nose on her cheek. He breathed out a puff of air, "Then let's go run amok in the forest."

Swallowdrift nodded and smiled at him. "You start."

Without a single point of warning, Pineleaf happily ran off into the forest. He chuckled, no longer caring if any cat heard him or not. The frost and thin layer of snow felt smooth on his paws. Newleaf was definitely close at this point, and that means that prey will once more be abundant in the territories. The wind blew through his pelt, and he heard the joyful giggled coming from behind him. He glanced back to see her dark blue pelt with white rings dart through the shadows, her minty colored eyes brimming with stars.

He smirked and slipped past a tree. The air was still and quiet, and Pineleaf loved it. His tail whipped past his fur, and Swallowdrift began to pant as well as himself. Suddenly, he felt a weight on his back. He gasped when his body was tossed down onto the wet ground. He was turned over to face Swallowdrift pinning him down, panting and smiling.

Both Pineleaf and Swallowdrift stared into one another's eyes. Then she flopped down on him. Her weight was pressed onto his body and he blushed slightly. She closed her eyes and twined her tail into his.

She rested her head on his pale chest. Pineleaf slowly wrapped his paws around her back. She sighed and purred, "This is much better than talking at the half-bridge."

Pineleaf didn't answer. He blinked quickly and gazed at the glittering stars above him. Was StarClan glaring down at him? Or is his ancestors simply smiling down on them both?

Pineleaf flopped his head down onto the ground. He will stay there for the night. He will sleep with Swallowdrift peacefully without thinking about moonlight patrols outside of the territories.

Neither cat wanted to destroy that beautiful, silent moment they were having together. Pineleaf stared at the sky for a while. Out of nowhere, a star blinked into existence and began to fall down. Then it faded away. A dying StarClan cat perhaps?

"I saw a falling star." Pineleaf said very quietly.

Swallowdrift moaned and then purred, "When I was a kit, Troutstream told me that when a StarClan warrior fades away, they fall down from the sky. Their spirit is preserved into a wish." She raised her head, "Make a wish, Pineleaf."

He was quiet for a long time. He thought long and hard before meowing simply, "I wish I can be your mate."

Swallowdrift blushed. Then it faded away and she rested her head back down on his chest. "I like that wish."

* * *

The morning was painful. Swallowdrift got off of his body and he slowly got up. They walked through the forest back to the territories, side by side. Birds sang in the trees, and Pineleaf thought about that wish for a little bit. He has just wished for the impossible. Swallowdrift is never going to meet him again. All that will happen is seeing each other in battles and gatherings. Nothing more and nothing less.

Before the pain could hit, he turned around and raced back to ShadowClan. He felt tears run down his cheek and float off his face as he ran.

_Be happy with Shadefish._ He thought as his paws mushed down onto the marshy ground. He nearly choked on his own tears. He didn't want to cry. Pineleaf thought that he was supposed to be the strong one as the relationship ended on a bad note.

Now Swallowdrift will run off to RiverClan and be mates with Shadefish. She'll have a happy family. Hopefully become the leader, and be loved by her Clanmates.

As he padded into camp, he noticed Flamebranch, Fawndapple, and Twigtail all emerge from the medicine den. In turn, Fawndapple was staring at him sadly, almost as if she had bad news.

The air was thick and foggy, and Pineleaf felt sick to his stomach. He slowly padded over to them and he lashed his tail. "What's going on?"

Fawndapple hung her head. "I have bad news." She looked over at Twigtail. Then she continued, "Last night, I have confronted Willowshine in the medicine den."

Pineleaf gulped. That was the night he has met Swallowdrift for the final time.

Twigtail stepped up. "Willowshine confessed that she was the one who ordered a cat in her Clan to put the foxglove seeds in Fawndapple's storage."

"How is that bad news?" Asked Pineleaf tilting his head, "Shouldn't we be rejoicing we finally got one step further to finding out who the giving thief is?"

"That's the twist." Flamebranch said darkly, "You've been meeting the giving thief for many moons now."

In a single heartbeat, it all slammed down on him. Swallowdrift put those seeds in the den.

His mind flickered back to the night before Tallpoppy's death. He was guarding the camp that night. He faintly remembered smelling a thick smell of fish and even a sudden movement in the darkness. He couldn't decide whether the reflected eyes in the darkness were green or blue.

But he still refused to believe it. He couldn't deal with this. Pineleaf took a step back and lowered his ears. Swallowdrift was kind and would never murder a cat in ShadowClan for her RiverClan medicine cat.

"I don't believe it." He hissed narrowing his eyes. Fawndapple's brown eyes slitted.

"It was her, Willowshine confessed to everything." Twigtail replied. Then he nodded, "She even claimed that StarClan thinks Fawndapple is a threat to the forest."

"I don't believe _you_!" He suddenly shouted getting closer to Twigtail, "I know you're just trying to fool me into not meeting Swallowdrift anymore. It doesn't matter either way though; because we both broke it off last night."

Flamebranch flicked his ear in annoyance, "This must be hard on you. But that doesn't change the fact that she did it."

Pineleaf dug his claws into the ground. He turned his head away. Then Pineleaf turned around to avoid his siblings and Twigtail.

_She would never do that._ He thought painfully. _I will never believe them. They must have got their facts wrong._

He swore that agony engulfed his body that whole day. He even snapped at Oakfur when he was told to join the sunhigh patrol. Unfortunately for him, he has fallen far too deep in love with her.

He blinked away tears remembering the night he first saw her.

It was as if she radiated with innocence. She stood erect as if she was becoming a warrior, yet wearing a shy mask that didn't let anyone near her. She was a cute she-cat, Pineleaf admitted to that subject. But he had no idea that he would eventually turn out to meet her one day and fall head over tails in love for her. It was Twigpaw and Stempaw who have first pointed her out to him.

The second time he met her was on a border patrol. Flamebranch teased him silently and forced him to talk to her. Blushes were exchanged and Pineleaf was too nervous to say anything correctly. She was walking with Reedtail, and her beautiful blue pelt shone in the sunlight, still unscathed from battle. Yet he barely uttered any words to her. He even had Flamebranch speak for him he was so nervous. A crush developed over time, and he couldn't stop thinking about her.

The third time was when he awoke in the night and nearly trampled over his mother as they spied on Sparrowfang meeting his only surviving daughter. Finally, Pineleaf has heard her inside story of perfection. Fallenstar ordered him to escort her back to RiverClan and he has done so. The two cats have engaged in a proper conversation. Finally, they have agreed to meet each other on the moonless night.

Pineleaf didn't speak to anyone.

Then he remembered his very first meeting with her. The night with no moon, so they could conceal themselves if caught meeting each other.

_Pinepaw nervously tapped his tail against the wood of the half-bridge. He instinctively searched the sky for a moon, only to remember it was the new moon._

_ Without a trace of warning, he felt a heavy body slam down onto his side. He gasped and tumbled down into the lake. He spluttered for breath, water suddenly filling up his lungs._

_ Pinepaw looked up in the shadows to see a slightly smaller, sleeker she-cat thrashing about as well. He choked on water when he felt jaws clamp around his scruff. He grunted as he was heaved up through the splashing water onto the pebbled shore. He flopped down onto the shore and gasped for breath. Beside him was the she-cat who saved him; blue with a ringed tail and belly._

_ Pinepaw gulped and shook his fur; all the while still coughing. The she-cat shook her fur as well and began to groom herself as if her life depended on it._

_ In the shadows, he slowly blinked and realized that this she-cat was Swallowpaw. A blush sprouted onto his face. He was glad that the darkness could hide his face._

_ "H-Hello, Swallowpaw."_

_ She turned to him and grinned, "Hi there, Pinepaw." Then she scrambled up to the half-bridge. She shook her pelt once more and tapped her tail on the wood. Pinepaw grinned wildly and joined her on top._

_ After a quick silence of lapping water and crying owls, she said suddenly in a bashful voice, "Sorry I tackled you. You were on RiverClan territory and I couldn't see you in the darkness. I just assumed you were an intruder."_

_ Pinepaw chuckled uneasily. "Not to mention you threw me into the lake then proceeded to save me."_

_ Swallowpaw giggled in return. "Yeah." She licked her paw, "I hate the water though. When I saw it was you, I immediately dived in after. Reedtail says I'm a drypaw. Then he said it's okay I'm a drypaw because the leader before Mistystar was a drypaw as well." Swallowpaw smiled, "Her name was Leopardstar."_

_ Pinepaw blinked and replied, "Oh yeah, the other night I heard you telling your father that Troutstream expects you to become leader. Is that true?"_

_ "Yes." Swallowpaw said in a sad voice, "She tried to get Mistystar to train me. But Mistystar already had her paws full with uh…" She cleared her voice, "With ShadowClan."_

_ Pinepaw looked away. "Right. Sorry."_

_ "It wasn't your fault. It was just a foolish decision made by my mother and father. But we all make mistakes, right?" Then she scored her claws into the wood, "But some mistakes cannot be undone. Like me. I'm a mistake."_

_ "You aren't a mistake." Pinepaw protested beginning to blush, "You're a very nice she-cat t-that cares for her Clan. Troutstream cares about you. She almost directly attacked the nursery of ShadowClan for you."_

_ Swallowpaw nodded, "We were both kits at the time."_

_ Pinepaw smiled weakly. He nudged a little closer to her and gazed across the jet black lake. Working up the courage, he asked skittishly, "D-Do you want to meet again in two more days?"_

_ Her ears perked up. Suddenly, she said enthusiastically, "Of course! It felt good to talk out my feelings with you."_

_ Pinepaw ducked his head. "I'm flattered."_

_ Swallowpaw purred and set her paw on his. "Trust me, I'm looking forward to meeting each other again."_

_ With that, she bounded off into the darkness, leaving Pinepaw to swoon over their meeting. _Two more nights,_ he thought romantically, _And we can see each other again.

**Author's Note: How about that? I decided to write about their first meeting, especially because you guys never got to see it. This was really fun to write! This pairing is a lot more romantic than HawkxFawn, especially since Fawndapple's relationship is more of a desirable lust than a love. Either way, both ships are pretty cute and swaggin.**


	36. Yellow Eyes We Know

**Author's Note: So, I bought Bramblestar's Storm yesterday, and I saw uh... things that strongly oppose to both Fallenstar's Fate and Autumn's Awakening. So for now, I can just safely say that Fallenstar is in another universe, and caused a butterfly effect through the Clans.**

**Does that work? Of course it does.**

Fallenstar tried to get her son out of the warriors den, only to see that he was depressed about something. She even watched in sympathy as Plumpaw tried to get him out for a patrol with Oakfur and herself, only to have her son snap at her.

"He isn't coming out," Said Plumpaw unfortunately.

Fallenstar smiled reassuringly, "Then let's just go by ourselves. I want to see your fighting skills."

Plumpaw kept a poker face as she said calmly, "I think I learned a lot from all my mentors' different fighting styles." She blinked and added, "It's disappointing two of them had to die."

Fallenstar looked over at Oakfur. It was very shaming that both Ivytail and Kinkfur had to die. Fallenstar set her paw on her apprentice's back, "If any bad luck comes my way, I'll have lives to spare."

Plumpaw looked like she was about to respond, but then she shut her mouth. She looked down at her paws then nodded. The small trio of cats headed out into the forest. Fallenstar beamed as Owlkit ran up to Plumpaw and asked in an excited voice, "Do you promise to teach me any new moves when you get back?"

Plumpaw nodded without a word. Then Owlkit bursted out into bouncing as she cried out happily, "Oh my gosh, yes! Thank you so much, Plumpaw! You're such a great friend."

The trio eventually headed out into the forest, tails waving impatiently and eyes scouring ahead of the often used tracks. Then Fallenstar charged over the log and skidded into the mossy clearing with Oakfur and Plumpaw racing after her. The cats both panted and she grinned. She was glad that she still took those morning jogs.

Then Fallenstar waved her tail across the clearing, "Plumpaw, I want you to attack me right now."

Plumpaw's eyes got wide, but her delayed reaction only made Fallenstar chuckle. Without warning, she turned around and pounced on top of her apprentice, quickly pinning down her shoulders and baring her teeth in a smile.

Suddenly, a look of pain shot her.

It looked all too familiar. For a brief second, the eyes gleamed a charming, hypnotizing yellow. Fallenstar gasped as Plumpaw smiled darkly and threw her off with such a great strength. Fallenstar grunted and Oakfur stood back.

Plumpaw shook her head rapidly and suddenly began to pant. She crouched down and muttered in a scared voice, "N-No, get out of my head." She looked up at her, "Fallenstar, what just happened?"

Fallenstar knew those eyes. Those eyes haunted her too often. In almost all dreams of these eyes, they were paired with a widely smiling mouth holding a dark brown bloody ear and her vision going red.

Those yellow eyes was the cold, calculating gaze of Ratscar. Fallenstar narrowed her eyes and hissed to Oakfur, "Get back to the camp right now. I need to have a little chat with my apprentice."

Oakfur's eyes got wide but he nodded obediently as he sprinted off to the camp. Fallenstar began to circle Plumpaw. Suddenly she asked, "Who was that?"

"Who was what?" Asked Plumpaw tilting her head. Yet her tail was twitching and a drip of sweat trickled down her head.

"You're hiding something from me." Fallenstar concluded. "Is it a voice? Is some cat trying to control you?"

Plumpaw ducked her head. "I'm sworn to secrecy."

Fallenstar narrowed her eyes. "Then tonight I'll take a little visit to the Dark Forest."

* * *

The she-cat blinked open her eyes to the landscape of StarClan. She has decided to take a trip to moonpool by herself, unwilling to let Littlecloud know what's going on.

_Then he'll really think I've lost it._

So Fallenstar began to tore away at the silver forest. Bright blue butterflies flitted past her face. She even had the nerve to shove past a StarClan cat. She continued to ran, her green eyes narrowed and determined to find out what is truly haunting her apprentice.

Still sprinting without a single trace of being tired, she finally came across a huge misty wall. Past that wall was the place of eternal torment and hatred.

Looking around the forest, she hissed, "Come on out, Ratscar." Then she leaped across the wall, mist scraping across her fur as if it were claws. She gasped when her paws landed solidly onto the earth. Fallenstar looked around the forest and walked on with caution.

"Damn," she said glancing at a tree with the skeleton of a cat draped across, "This place is seriously messed up."

"Fallenstar!"

The she-cat turned her head to face a dark ginger tabby tom with blue eyes standing next to a dark grey Persian with orange eyes. Fallenstar rolled her eyes, "Hello, O great and powerful dead cats of StarClan who think they could control the earth. What are you here to tell me a lesson about this time?"

Yellowfang lashed her tail. "Just tell me why a mortal cat like you came across the Dark Forest."

Fallenstar replied simply, "I'm searching for Ratscar."

Flametail's eyes looked urgent, "Well, now really isn't the time for you to be searching for him. We've set up StarClan patrols to make sure the surviving cats stay in check. Maybe even hopefully convert them to see the errors of their ways and let them join StarClan."

"How noble," commented Fallenstar, "but you obviously aren't keeping them in well enough check because Ratscar somehow got out to possess my apprentice."

Yellowfang snorted, "You got it wrong. Ratscar has confessed that Tigerstar has manipulated him well enough to wriggle into his head. Ratscar was poisoned from the Dark Forest. In truth, he really cared for you like a mentor to an apprentice." She shook her paw and turned away, "Ratscar got into StarClan. He doesn't have any hate left to fuel him to get back to the waking world."

Fallenstar perked her single ear in surprise, "I guess that makes sense. But if it isn't Ratscar, then who got into my apprentice's head?"

Flametail and Yellowfang looked at each other. Then Flametail said, "I haven't seen Hawkheart in a long time. He has been awful quiet a lot in StarClan before he disappeared."

Fallenstar figured that StarClan would know about her daughter's crazy experiment on Twigpaw and Hawkheart. But she kept her lips sealed, hoping against hope that Fawndapple won't get a free train ticket to cat hell.

Yellowfang shook her head, "he has grown up with a lot of hate, but not enough to fuel itself into a possession."

The leader she-cat sighed and suddenly felt a rumble, signaling she's about to wake up. She glanced down at her paws to see that they were starting to fade away. "I'll look a little further into it." She said as her voice began to trail off, "Goodbye, Yellowfang and Flametail. Until the next time I sleep next to moonpool, my Clan will be cared for."

"W-Wait!" Cried out Flametail, "You need to get to your Clan quickly before more are injured."

As Fallenstar tilted her head in confusion, she woke up next to the trickling water. She heaved out a breath and stood up on wobbly legs. The dewy morning air filtered into her nose and she began to trot down the pathway. Birds chirped loudly in the trees.

_Maybe I should hold Plumpaw's assessment tonight._ She though happily, _She has been training for a long time now._ Then she began to calculate all the time since Duckpaw and Plumpaw have been born. Then she nodded, _That's right. About sixteen or so months. So it's definitely about time. And Stoatleap's kits are very close to becoming apprentices. I might as well make them apprentices during the warrior ceremony and get two birds in one stone._

She trotted on quickly through the ThunderClan territory, hoping that it wasn't time for them to send out patrols yet.

She crossed the scent line and sprinted through the ShadowClan territory, eager to get back to her Clan. But then a sickening scent invaded her nostrils. She gasped and stopped for a moment. It was the stench of foxes.

Fallenstar narrowed her eyes and ran on through the woods. A squeal erupted and she ran even faster until she bursted onto the camp; splattered with blood.

Fallenstar ground her teeth together as she spotted a fox head poked into the nursery and a horrified scream.

Stoatleap grabbed the fox's hind legs as another one came charging right at her with Flamebranch clawing apart its back. Fallenstar stood her ground, remembering her very first fight with a fox; as well as killing it.

Fallenstar yowled and unsheathed her claws and lashed them out at the fox's eyes. It yelped in pain and growled at her before slashed out a claw toward her.

Fallenstar quickly ducked it and chomped down onto its muzzle. She scored down her claws down the creature's chest, blood blooming in the wake of destruction. Flamebranch cried out a battle shout and dug his claws in so deep when Fallenstar was aware of the painful empathy of the fox.

_Thanks a lot, Yellowfang._

But a sudden pain shot her in the head. She shouted in pain and flopped down onto the ground, seeing an even larger fox standing above her, it's jaws dripping with fresh blood and clumps of light grey kit fur.

Then it all came back to her. This fox was part of the pack that Fallenstar killed the single fox in as an apprentice, and this fox has grown a lot since then. Now it has come back for revenge for murdering a family member.

"No, Jaykit!" Shouted Mistfall in horror. Fallenstar tilted her head to see Mistfall ferociously fighting a female fox that had Jaykit in its jaws.

Stoatleap spat a few choice words at it as suddenly the fox nearly smirked and bashed her huge black paw directly down on Fallenstar's skull. Then it all went black, the single scream of Jaykit's name echoing in her mind.


	37. This Little Blue Flower

Fawndapple hissed at a fox and slashed her claws across the muzzle. Littlecloud stayed in the corner of the medicine den protecting Duckpaw and Owlkit who managed to get separated from their siblings.

_This is suicide,_ she thought while ducking her head to avoid the fox's claws trying to slap down onto her body.

Then the fox was tilted over. She gasped and saw it was Flamebranch screaming as loud as he could, "Stay away from my sister!" Then he turned to shout over at Pineleaf, "Get to the nursery, now!"

Then Pineleaf nodded grimly and helped Stoatleap attack the other fox as Mistfall lay in the nursery panting and covered in bloody scratches.

Suddenly, a scream filled the air. Fawndapple perked her ears. Then her eyes got wide and saw Fallenstar bleeding out her life in the entrance of the camp with a fox looming over her.

"S-Save Jaykit…" she coughed out feebly before flopping over and breathing raggedly.

Fawndapple narrowed her eyes. "Flamebranch, keep that fox away from the medicine den, I'm going to get Fallenstar." Then she darted over to her mother. Fallenstar cried out in pain as the fox stepped on her tail in escape. Then it yelped loudly and escaped the camp.

"JAYKIT!" Screamed Emberkit from the nursery, watching miserably as his brother was carried off by a fox. Fawndapple felt torn as Pineleaf and Sparrowfang raced after it together. Flamebranch was covered in scars and dripping in blood. A trickle came out from his mouth. Then Flamebranch smiled and flopped down onto the ground.

Cats all came up painfully from the ground and began to walk on shaky legs.

Fallenstar's eyes were shut and her tail unmoving. Fawndapple took a deep breath and took her scruff and carried her to the medicine den. Once inside, she heard Littlecloud say to Duckpaw and Owlkit, "Don't worry, the foxes are gone now."

"Is Plumpaw all right?" Duckpaw asked anxiously. "She wasn't chewed up by a fox, was she?"

Littlecloud was quiet for a moment as Fawndapple set down Fallenstar on a nest. Fawndapple set her ears down her mother's chest. Her heart was still beating, thank StarClan.

"You aren't going to lose a life today," Fawndapple muttered as she turned away to grab some leaves. Fawndapple picked up raspberry leaves, cobwebs, and marigold. She immediately began to chew on the marigold while she applied the cobwebs to Fallenstar's wounded head.

Littlecloud gently pushed over the raspberry leaves to Fallenstar's mouth to eat as Fawndapple plastered the marigold onto the wounds for extra measure.

Fallenstar moaned quietly and opened her eyes painfully. "W-What happened? Is Stoatleap and the kits okay?"

Fawndapple didn't say a word. She simply continued to plaster plants onto her wounds.

"Answer me, please." Fallenstar said almost desperately. Then she hung her head, "Littlecloud, please look around the camp and get the injured cats into the den."

Fawndapple glanced at the herb storage and she breathed out a sigh of relief seeing that there's plenty to spare and none of it has gone rotten yet.

Littlecloud nodded and guided Duckpaw and Owlkit out of the medicine den first. Fawndapple then asked Fallenstar in a serious voice, "Did you lose a life?"

Fallenstar shook her head. "I have not seen StarClan. Only darkness."

Fawndapple smiled with relief. Then she laid down next to her mother. She set her head on her shoulder and purred, "That takes a huge load off of my shoulders."

Suddenly, three cats were limping into the den. Standing next to Littlecloud was Flamebranch, Mistfall, and Crowfrost. Mistfall gulped and looked back to the nursery for her kits being protected by Stoatleap and Olivenose.

Littlecloud and Fawndapple guided the three cats into designated nests. Then Fawndapple nodded over to Fallenstar saying, "You should be fine for a while. Just be careful with your head; it should be sore for a while before it completely heals."

Fallenstar purred in reply and walked out of the den. While Littlecloud and Fawndapple tended to the cats' wounds, a horrible cry of misery erupted from outside. Fawndapple turned her head to look outside.

"Fawndapple," said Littlecloud, "I got this. You better go check on the cats outside."

Fawndapple stood up and trampled her way up to the entrance and flicked her ear and gasped to see Dewdrop crying over the body of a golden brown tom. Pineleaf's head was hung guiltily.

"What's going on…?" Asked Fawndapple knowingly. She didn't want it to be true. It couldn't be true.

"I-It's Sparrowfang!" Dewdrop sobbed, "My brother is _dead_!"

Pineleaf shut his eyes and laid back his ears. "It was my fault. I…" he shook his head and looked away, "I ran away as the fox came back for us. I left Sparrowfang. But when I realized he wasn't running behind me, I went back to get him only to find…"

"It's your fault!" Dewdrop snapped as tears rolled down her cheeks. Her eyes were now blazing with fury and blame for Fawndapple's brother, "If you realized that he wasn't behind you earlier, he could have been saved! You could have went back for him faster to spare his life."

Fawndapple pawed at the golden brown tabby's pelt. She looked up at Pineleaf, "At least did you find Jaykit?"

Pineleaf took a long time to respond. Then he grimly replied, "I we found him torn up. I wish I could say his death was quick and painless. He was too torn up to bring back to the camp."

Fawndapple lashed her tail. Then she took Sparrowfang's scruff, "I'll get his body prepared."

"How will we mourn for my son?" Asked Stoatleap coming up from behind Dewdrop. The three cats turned over to him. "How am I supposed to tell Owlkit, Nettlekit, and Emberkit that their brother isn't here anymore?"

Fawndapple dropped the body for a second. "Tell them as simply as you can. They're too young to understand what's going on."

Stoatleap didn't reply. In return, he turned around and went to the medicine den to see his wounded mate.

"This morning is full of pain." Hissed Dewdrop, "I can't stand it."

Fawndapple was quiet as she dragged Sparrowfang's body to the medicine den. His body was beginning to become colder with every heave. Once he was dragged in, all the cats in the den stared at her in horror. She dipped her head and said quietly, "Sparrowfang is dead."

Crowfrost lowered his head and Mistfall bursted into tears. Flamebranch's ears laid back. Littlecloud came over to her and said in a hushed voice, "As usual, you can prepare the body."

* * *

Fallenstar stood high atop the High Branch as the stars gleamed above her. "Tonight, I was originally planning to hold assessments for two specific apprentices."

Plumpaw and Duckpaw stayed close together, knowing it was each other. Fawndapple looked over at them sympathetically.

Fallenstar cleared her throat and continued, "However, it turns out to be quite the opposite. Tonight, instead we will mourn the loss of Jaykit and Sparrowfang. Jaykit's body was too torn up to hold a proper vigil for him. So instead…" she nodded at her son at the back of the crowd. Pineleaf stepped up in the front of the crowd. In his mouth was a small blue flower. Delicately as if it were actually Jaykit, Pineleaf gently set down the flower next to Sparrowfang's body. Fallenstar choked on her own words, "Instead, we have decided to use a flower in his place."

"Can we come out of the nursery now?" Asked Emberkit loudly. Mistfall turned on her kits and hushed them rather loudly. Then she told them now wasn't the time.

Fawndapple didn't like Mistfall handled telling her kits one of their littermates are dead. She simply said that their brother is going to leave for a little bit, and they will see him again one day.

Fawndapple felt thorns stabbed into her heart. Jaykit had potential to be a great warrior judging from the way he played moss ball with his siblings and Sparrowfang was truly loyal to the Clan at heart, even though he has mated with Troutstream of RiverClan.

Now Swallowdrift has no father to look across the border for.

Fallenstar came down the tree and let the cat's Clanmates groom Sparrowfang for the final time.

Fawndapple watched sadly as Stoatleap came over to his mate in the nursery and said to Mistfall in a quiet voice, "You can't avoid the fact that Jaykit is dead. You have to let his siblings know that he isn't coming back."

Mistfall was quiet for a long time until she gently nuzzled her mate then went back into the nursery. A moment after some speaking, it went quiet, then Fawndapple heard Emberkit cry out, "Why haven't you told us earlier?"

With Nettlekit following in an angry tone, "We aren't stupid enough to not understand death and StarClan."

"I want to see Jaykit!" Shout Owlkit as she stomped her brown paw onto the ground.

Mistfall didn't reply to any of her kits. She only lead them outside and to the flower of Jaykit. Mistfall didn't explain why there was a flower instead of Jaykit there. She sat there and watched as the kits surrounded the flower.

One by one, each kit sniffed the flower. But by now, the flower was stale in its scent, but no one cared. All was silent as shoulders heaved and tears dripped down faces.

_Was StarClan trying to say something to us?_ Fawndapple thought in silence while holding back tears, _Does StarClan really think I'm too dangerous to be alive?_


	38. Naming a Ghost

**Author's Note: To decide who will die, I had literally rolled a 20 sided dice twice. I came up with Sparrowfang and Jaykit, and I guess that settles that. Fallenstar and I had to cut back on Clan budgets. :/**

Flamebranch walked around the camp sadly.

_You protected her,_ purred the voice in the back of his head. This voice was dripping with relief for Fawndapple, _She'll be safe for another few moons._

Flamebranch sat down and curled his tail over his paws as he gazed up at the full moon in the sky. As usual, he decided not to go to the gathering. He replied to the voice, _But will cats be hunting her every waking moment? I don't want this for my sister._

_ As long as she's protected, it's alright. _Comforted the voice.

Flamebranch learned to somewhat despise the voice. It nagged in his head for the answers it will never get. So Flamebranch asked a little hotly, _Who are you; really?_

No response. It went dead silent. In the darkness of his own consciousness, Flamebranch shakily stood up with an eye twitch. Fawndapple was carefully organizing the herbs in her den, as to not make another fatal mistake.

It was a quiet night, and when he nestled into his nest next to Crowfrost, he heard the pained wails of the kits across the camp in the nursery.

"I want Jaykit back!" Moaned Owlkit.

Emberkit sniffled and shouted, "He's not dead!"

Nettlekit didn't say anything at all.

No warriors told them to be quiet. Only quietness came through to the Clan. Pain and sorrow for the kits filled their bones and made them cover their ears.

* * *

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather here beneath the High Branch for a Clan meeting!" Shouted Fallenstar. She looked down on everyone as Flamebranch slowly peeled open his eyes. He turned around the den and saw all the warriors were already gone, even Pineleaf.

Flamebranch yawned loudly and trotted outside slowly. He spotted Mistfall grooming her kits skittishly. It must be time to make them apprentices as well as Plumpaw and Duckpaw becoming warriors.

"The time of ceremonies has finally come," meowed Fallenstar proudly looking down on the only apprentices of the Clan, "Plumpaw and Duckpaw, it is time for you two to take the assessment."

As usual, Fallenstar went over the typical rules, which made Flamebranch almost fall asleep. Luckily, Dawnpelt shoved him awake. He gasped and looked around frantically then looked over back at her. He chuckled nervously, "Sorry, Dawnpelt."

She snorted in response, "Just a reminder that your father kept me awake through your warrior ceremony."

Fallenstar has swapped out the mentors of the two apprentices. However, she also needed to perform the kits' ceremonies. Instead, she had Stoatleap watch Duckpaw and Toadfoot take on Plumpaw since Stoatleap had a little experience with Duckpaw. The four cats headed out into the woods with Plumpaw looking back and smiling at someone in the crowd. Flamebranch looked to her gaze to see Pineleaf. Flamebranch's tiredness flew away like a fledgling; Pineleaf is obviously stuck in a love triangle.

Flamebranch knew what a swooning she-cat looked like. It was all in her eyes; the pupils are always extra large and their tail continually twitching, as in the case with Plumpaw.

But Flamebranch decided not to tease his brother about it. He's already going through enough stuff with Swallowdrift.

Fallenstar then rapped her paw against the tree bark for attention. The Clan all looked back at her.

"Now, I must also give three kits their apprentice names."

"No!"

The Clan turned over to Emberkit who stood shaking with rage. Emberkit shoved past Nettlekit and hissed to Fallenstar, "I won't become an apprentice unless Jaykit is here with me."

Fallenstar frowned. After a moment, she regained her smile. She exhaled and meowed, "Of course we'll give Jaykit his name as well. I'm sure he's watching eagerly from StarClan right now."

Mistfall gently nosed her only son forward. Emberkit shot a glare at her but then stepped up with Owlkit and Nettlekit following.

Fallenstar composed herself and got on with the ceremony, "I call down on StarClan to look down on three kits and toward another one in your ranks. Nettlekit, Owlkit, and Emberkit, please step forward as your brother silently watches."

The three kits each tumbled forward. Owlkit wore a bright, fake smile on her face. But Nettlekit and Emberkit both looked upset about the whole situation.

"Emberkit, from now on until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Emberpaw. Scorchfur, I want you to train Emberpaw and pass down your great skills to this young cat."

Scorchfur dipped his head and did the nose-touch with his new apprentice.

"Owlkit, until you become a warrior, you will be called Owlpaw. Your mentor shall be Applefur. Applefur, I want you to train Owlpaw as well as you have trained me."

Applefur nodded. "I won't let you down."

Fallenstar turned to the final kit. Nettlekit's fur was still spiked, just like her mother's. But she had the pelt pattern of her aunt, Dewdrop. Flamebranch yawned once more, but made good measure not to fall asleep.

"Nettlekit, until the day comes when you become a warrior, you will be known as Nettlepaw. Your mentor will be Dewdrop." She smiled, "Dewdrop, teach Nettlepaw everything you know about being a good warrior from the skills you have learned from Olivenose."

Before the Clan could cheer, Fallenstar raised her tail, "And I shall also mention Jaykit. The poor cat who was savagely murdered by a fox. Jaykit, look down from StarClan as I humbly name you Jaypaw."

"Emberpaw, Owlpaw, Nettlepaw, Jaypaw!" Cheered the Clan proudly.

A rough voice suddenly purred behind the crowd, "I hear cheering for a new set of apprentices."

Flamebranch turned around to see Toadfoot standing in front of Stoatleap, Plumpaw, and Duckpaw. Each cat wore bright smiles on their faces. Fallenstar nodded and let them sit among the crowd.

"Today, we also celebrate the coming of two new warriors."

Both Toadfoot and Stoatleap quickly reported on their apprentices. Duckpaw apparently did best in fighting, defending herself in split second moments and even succeeded in hunting. Tigerheart and Olivenose stared proudly at their kits. Plumpaw did a little poorer than her sister, but she made up for fighting in her ability to lose the way of any pursuer and something and something… and something…

"Flamebranch!"

This time, he got a stinging blocky pain to the side of his head. He gasped in pain and turned to see Dawnpelt innocently looking up at Fallenstar. But that tiny smirk on he muzzle proved it was her.

"Well then," started Fallenstar, "I believe it's time for Duckpaw and her sister to become warriors. Duckpaw, step forward."

Duckpaw stepped up and lashed her tail excitedly.

"Duckpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code…" Fallenstar struggled to remember the words for a moment before nodding and continuing, "t-the warrior code and protect ShadowClan, even at the cost of your life?"

"Yes I do, Fallenstar." Duckpaw squeaked.

"Then from this day on, you will be known as Duckfeather. May StarClan shine down on your shining optimism and undying loyalty." Then she faced Plumpaw who shuffled her paws. "Plumpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect the Clan, even at the cost of your life."

Plumpaw simply nodded.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I name you Plumshade. StarClan smiles down on your cunning mind and silent words."

"Plumshade, Duckfeather!"

Flamebranch moaned after them, still wanting to sleep. This time, Fawndapple sitting behind him poked his neck. Then Fawndapple hissed, "You can sleep later, Flamebranch. This is a really important moment for both Mistfall's and Olivenose's kits. I know this is a long ceremony, but at least stay awake."

Flamebranch growled softly then grinned at her. "Sure. I'll stay awake just a bit longer."

"Plumshade and Duckfeather will watch over the Clan tonight." Fallenstar waved her tail, "Clan dismissed." Then she crawled back down the tree.

Then all the names at once erupted, "Congratulations, to everyone!"

"Emberpaw!"

"Nettlepaw!"

"Owlpaw!"

"Plumshade!"

"Duckfeather!"

Flamebranch felt dizzy. So he weakly nodded over to Fawndapple and followed her out of the smashing crowd and into the medicine den. When he got inside, he was given juniper berries and poppy seeds. Fawndapple stroked her tail down his ginger tabby fur. "Silly, Flamebranch." She purred.

A moment later, Pineleaf sprinted into the medicine den, panting. "So many cats all at once!" He cried out, "None of them are on a patrol!"

"That's because usually the Clan seems a lot smaller since we have so many patrols." Pointed out Fawndapple.

Flamebranch heard an echo in the back of the den. It was Littlecloud tending to Crowfrost's wounds. Littlecloud weakly stood up and chuckled, "That's why I try not to get into Clan meetings."

Crowfrost grinned as well. "I never liked meetings."

"Can you choose to avoid a meeting?" Asked Pineleaf stepping up.

Crowfrost nodded and flinched painfully as Littlecloud squeezed goldenrod juice into a bloody, sticky wound. Then he said, "Yeah, as long as you hear the meeting, it should be fine. You don't usually get to see the elders join meetings, do you?"

Flamebranch shook his head.

Littlecloud turned back to the stash of plants, but he searched and pawed at the storage awkwardly. He wearily walked over to Fawndapple, "I'm going to head out and gather some oak leaves."

Fawndapple narrowed her eyes and blocked her tail over the exit, "No you aren't. _I'm_ going to gather them for you." Then she sprinted out of the den and disappeared in the light.

Littlecloud sighed and traced a claw on the ground. Pineleaf tilted his head. "You seem upset, Littlecloud."

"Oh, I am." He replied looking up, "I'm too old for this job."

"Why don't you just retire to the elder's den?" Asked Flamebranch fluffing out his tail.

Littlecloud ducked his head in shame, "I don't want to be sitting in the den useless with my knowledge going to waste. I'm going to stay with Fawndapple for as long as I have to before I pass on." Then he walked back toward the now sleeping Crowfrost. Littlecloud sighed then said tiredly, "If only she knew how close I am to my expiration date."


	39. Twenty Six Moons

Twenty six moons has passed since he first began to count. That means that Fawndapple and her siblings are each twenty six moons old.

Littlecloud ached to leave behind ShadowClan. But he is old and dying, and he doesn't want to be wasted knowledge sitting in the elder's den.

Littlecloud has served ShadowClan until he was dry.

He has had dreams about his apprentice. None of the dreams were good. Runningnose has tried to persuade Littlecloud that Fawndapple is a huge threat to the forest and needs to be wiped clean of existence. This has enraged the smaller brown tabby, as he dug his claws into the silver soil of StarClan's hunting grounds.

Unlike those other medicine cats willing to do anything, and when Littlecloud says anything, he means _anything._ Littlecloud never trusted StarClan. The only cat he has every decided to put all of his trust into was Cinderpelt.

Those blue eyes and fluffy grey pelt was so memorizing. Little did he know, he has fallen in love with her during the moons of intense sickness.

But Cinderpelt obviously didn't feel the same. Littlecloud saw the way she looked at Firestar. The look of pure love and longing for a cat she couldn't have. And Littlecloud realized that he could never work up the courage to tell her how he felt. Instead, he kept it bottled up, and decided to become a medicine cat. He knew he was born to fit the role of a cat meant to heal others.

He had Cinderpelt to thank for the influence.

Then the day came when she was killed by a badger, leaving poor Leafpool all on her own to care for the Clan.

To distract himself from the pain, Littlecloud decided it was finally time to get an apprentice. When Tawnypelt's first litter of kits were born, he happily watched as if StarClan has dropped a ginger tabby with blue eyes into his paws for training: Flamekit loved the medicine den.

Then Sol came along and during the time that Littlecloud was separated from the other cats, he began to have dreams about a falling star. Then it crashed into ShadowClan's territory with a huge, swirling green explosion of smoke.

The next dream was about him suddenly being slammed down in the middle of a thunderpath in a twolegplace. When he looked up, a huge red monster came running toward him, then he couldn't distinguish blood from the color of the monster.

Then Fallenpaw came around after Littlecloud named Flamepaw into Flametail. At first, it seemed suspicious that she had no scent on her pelt, not even a trace.

However, Littlecloud caught a tiny whiff of a familiar scent he smells every half-moon; the scent of StarClan's hunting grounds.

Littlecloud knew that StarClan has sent down this small she-cat to fix what has gone wrong in the Clans. But Blackstar made her warrior much too early. Littlecloud guessed that the old tom put too much trust into her right away.

Eventually, Flametail began to act a little weird around Littlecloud. He took the time to sneak off 'collecting herbs' when in fact he wouldn't return with any at all.

Then he had a dream where the green star fell back down. But what followed that was the forest all bursting into flames at once. Littlecloud was afraid it had something to do with both his apprentice and the cat labeled to be directly from StarClan.

Then one night Fallensky had a serious bellyache. She slept in the medicine den for the night while Littlecloud stood up late at night cleaning up the rotting herbs. On the way out, he caught Fallensky entwined with the body of Flametail.

Littlecloud could hardly believe it. At first, he tried to convince himself that Flametail was merely comforting Fallensky in her pain. But then it hit him that those two cats were too tightly entwined. Their whiskers touched and purrs rumbled in both of their bodies.

_This can't be happening._ He thought in pure shock. He ran outside.

This has to be the dream. That fallen star will be bound forever to Flametail. This love is too painful to even watch.

A moon later, Flametail and his siblings along with many other cats in the Clan raced out to the lake to skate on the ice. Littlecloud didn't think much of it until the grim word that Flametail has fallen through the ice got to him.

Littlecloud has to live a bit longer. He needs to find an apprentice.

Grieving alongside Fallensky, he desperately awaited for the kit to take Flametail's place. Then he noticed something was off about Fallensky.

Of course she was grieving, but it lasted much too long than it should have. Then the day came when she finally admitted she was love in Flametail.

Then the rest came by in a blur. Almost a literally blur, because in the dead of night, Littlecloud was beginning to die.

He thanked StarClan that Fawndapple went out to the moonpool without him so that he could die on his own. He didn't want to worry his dear apprentice.

He smiled and stared outside of the den. He wants no medical attention for the moment until sunrise. For now, he will let his heart beat on and off as pain gripped his body. He gasped and shut his eyes for a moment before exhaling slowly.

"L-Littlecloud?" Said a voice followed by the weak sound of a cat standing up.

Littlecloud turned to see Crowfrost emerging from the shadow of the den.

"Are you going to eat those deathberries?" He asked collectively.

Littlecloud rolled the red berries in his paws. "She'll be fine without me. I'm in pain anyway, she'd want to make this quick."

"No, you want to die without a cat crying on your shoulder." Hissed Crowfrost, "I know you, the whole Clan knows you. Fawndapple would want to be with you as you die. She could ease it for you."

Littlecloud blinked and nestled deeper into his feathered and mossy nest, his pelt collecting clumps of feathers. Then he broke the air saying, "I don't want to hurt her."

Crowfrost narrowed his grey eyes and stepped forward. Then he suddenly stomped down on the deathberries making a horrifying _squish_. He looked down at Littlecloud and raised his paw to show a pad covered in red berry juice as it reflected the moonlight making it look dark like blood. The poisonous juice now was stained on the disorganized floor of the den. Then Crowfrost began to circle the old medicine cat, "Fawndapple will understand your passing. If you die without her by your side, you'll only be making it harder for her. Fawndapple will feel guilty about your death if she isn't there with you."

With that, Crowfrost padded back to his nest and curled up to sleep.

And so Littlecloud forced himself to wait, hanging on to life as if it were a spider thread and a storm was brewing. Over time as the sun slowly rose above the trees and mist cleared away from the camp, he began to splutter and gasp for air.

But he kept himself to not scream for Fawndapple or Fallenstar to help him.

When Fawndapple's youthful face came into the den, she gasped and perked her ears. Fawndapple darted into the den and laid down Littlecloud in his warm nest. He purred then coughed out a tiny spray of blood. He lowered his ears. Fawndapple began to scramble around the den for the needed herbs to heal him.

Then he gasped quietly, "Don't heal me."

Fawndapple turned to face him with tears dotting the corners of her precious brown eyes. She dropped the ivy leaves in her mouth as she suddenly cried out, "Don't die, Littlecloud!"

Littlecloud purred roughly. Finally, he gently let go of his thread and let it spin out of control into the whirlwind. Painfully, he coughed even more and his fur ruffled up. All at once, his heart stopped beating. He realized it was a moment of purity.

All was silent as Fawndapple screamed for him. She sprinted forward and began to sob on his shoulders. Her mouth formed into the words of 'Don't leave' as tears streaked down her face. She wrapped her paws around his neck. Then she sniffled and asked quietly, "How many moons has it been since you began counting?"

Littlecloud closed his eyes and said in an extremely quiet voice before slipping away to the welcoming light of StarClan, "Twenty six moons."

* * *

Then his eyes bolted open. He frantically looked around for the familiar face of Fawndapple, the apprentice he has grown to love like a daughter.

Two words echoed in his mind.

_Twenty Six._

Littlecloud spun in a circle to find himself in a beautiful unfamiliar forest. It had the same landscape as the silver woods of StarClan, yet now it was alive and full of color. Lights and fireflies flitted through the air and moonlight filed out through the land in beauty. Leaves fell down to the ground as a pathway laid down open to him. He blinked and began to run forward.

He was young again, and now since he was no longer a mortal cat, he could see StarClan's true colors.

He was at the youth when he met Cinderpelt, being the happiest point of his life. Littlecloud ran about through the twisted forest. Up ahead in the path was the back of a small solid brown tom.

Littlecloud then realized that it could only be one possible cat. He slowly walked forward to see that it was Twigtail, but why was he so much smaller? Littlecloud shook the shoulder of the cat then the tom turned around to be a much more youthful form of Twigtail but his eyes were huge and blue. A smile stretched across his face. Littlecloud took a step back.

"What's going on?" He asked in confusion.

Twigtail began to laugh and he meowed quickly, "I-It was all Fawndapple! She put my crushed body in the moonpool and the spirit of some imposter took hold of it and my emotions! That cat is Hawkheart who stole my body of innocence. He has stolen my darling Fawndapple from me." Then Twigpaw became angry, "Do you k-know what it's like to have your life just taken away from you? To watch as the cat you love is being toyed around with by an ancient WindClan medicine cat? I-It's like living in the Dark Forest. I can't tell anymore what my feelings are."

Littlecloud tilted his head. "So you have died. Twigpaw, I'm sorry."

"Oh, don't worry!" He suddenly laughed, "I got a way to stay close to Fawndapple."

"And how is… that?" Asked Littlecloud beginning to get scared of the younger cat.

Twigpaw began to pace around the forest. "Y-Yes, I have become a little voice in Flamebranch's voice. Eventually, he's going to go mad and kill Hawkheart! Yes, yes, it's all coming together. Oh, not just that, I even figured out how to possess living cats. Isn't that g-great? I can finally participate back in Clan discussions. I can even injure Fallenstar if I wanted to. That's when happens when you wriggle into the head of her apprentice."

Littlecloud took a step back. Twigpaw has definitely loved Fawndapple, but he didn't know he'd go insane over it. Twigpaw has definitely fallen off of the rocker that carefully kept his mind stitched together. Then it suddenly unraveled. Twigpaw looked disheveled. You're supposed to look young and youthful and StarClan, but there were bags underneath Twigpaw's eyes and his fur was messy and unkempt.

Then Twigpaw bursted out, "But it appears as though you have died alongside to leave Fawndapple on her own. I was about to sneak into your head and tell Fawndapple how much I miss her and how betrayed I felt when she put Hawkheart into my body. I guess things just don't go as planned."

"B-But what about when Plumshade attacked her? Fallenstar told me very specifically that Plumshade's eyes suddenly turned _yellow_ and your eyes are blue."

"Isn't t-that great?" He stuttered while lashing his tail, "I just wanted to point the blame at Ratscar or Hawkheart. It's great being a StarClan cat, you unlock darker powers within you when others a-aren't looking!"

"Twigpaw, this is crazy." Said Littlecloud sternly.

Twigpaw's grin got even wider, "Who says i-it's crazy? It's all in the name of love! I am saving my darling she-cat from the monster suiting in my fur. I am the hero in this story!"

Littlecloud stomped down his paw, "Listen to me. Fawndapple is in serious trouble. I'm sure the other medicine cats have got the prophecy of her danger to hunt her down. Then ShadowClan will be left with no medicine cat."

Twigpaw tilted his head and purred, "Silly goose, I made that prophecy. I wanted her to die so that we can be together forever and be away from Hawkheart. And when Flamebranch finally d-does kill Hawkheart, then Fawndapple and I can chase him off to the Dark Forest together. We can survive together in StarClan a-and fall deeply in love. If it's Hawkheart's stolen body she loves, then she'll love me even more for who I am."

"Fawndapple is in love with Twigtail?" Asked Littlecloud getting concerned, "She better not have any kits. Then again, I know she's responsible enough to know to not have any kits."

"That's right!" Spluttered Twigpaw, "First off, I have to go out and commune a bit more with Flamebranch and my plan will execute perfectly. You'll help me out, right?"

Littlecloud blinked and shook his head, "I'm sorry, Twigpaw. This doesn't seem right to me. I have to go be greeted by the other cats of StarClan." Then he turned around back into the woods.

Without warning, a weight slammed down on top of him. He looked over to see Twigpaw on top of him and furious, "Where do you think you're going? Now that you know m-my plan, I have to trap you away in the Dark Forest so you can't tell anyone what's going on."

Littlecloud's eyes got wide. When Twigpaw suddenly brought down his claws on top of Littlecloud's head at full force.

_Stay safe, Fawndapple,_ he thought desperately as he faded away into darkness and he began being dragged, _Stay close to your family._


	40. Derpity Derp, Oops

**Author's Note: Come on, admit it. You never expected it to be Twigpaw. All part of my beautiful master plan…**

**Also, this chappy has some… uh… more mature references. It's nothing graphic really, just cats talking about it. Alrighty, let's get this chappy going!**

Pineleaf gasped in shock and turned around suddenly to see Flamebranch growling to himself.

"Flamebranch, shut up! We're getting closer to the border."

"S-Sorry," he spluttered, "The voice is just getting really loud."

Pineleaf walked on, "Block it out then. Ignore the stupid voice." As his paws crunched on the grass, he said to his brother, "Swallowdrift told me to meet her-. She said it was an emergency."

"Why are you taking me then?" Hissed Flamebranch rolling his green eyes, "It's supposed to be you and your lovey dovey business with your royal mate."

Pineleaf then sighed and responded with a curt voice, "Just in case a patrol finds us."

"You should really be with your sister." Flamebranch suddenly says lashing his tail, "She's still grieving over Littlecloud a half moon later. Fawndapple's been really depressed and she has a whole new set of pressures suddenly weighed down on her shoulders."

Pineleaf guiltily laid back his ears, "I know, but Swallowdrift said it was an emergency. I know I should be comforting Fawndapple, but after this final meeting with her, I won't even leave my sister's side."

Flamebranch huffed. Then he sniffed the air and perked his ears. "Hey, I think I hear something and… fox-dung. It's fish." He glared at Pineleaf, "You know that she put those foxglove seeds in the den. Even Fawndapple knew that. But even after telling her, she promised not to put a single claw on her. I'd shred that she-cat's face off after that little stunt she pulled."

"She was blackmailed, Flamebranch." Pineleaf snapped, "Swallowdrift couldn't respond any better to that situation then anyone else would have." Pineleaf then raised his muzzle to sniff the air, the scent of fish and Swallowdrift wafting into his mouth. "That's definitely her. Swallowdrift!" He suddenly cried out.

"Pineleaf? Is that you?" Then the sleek body of a blue and white she-cat emerged from a set of bushes across the stream. She blinked and smiled grimly. "It's so good to see you. Luckily, a patrol just passed by. I'm sure they won't be coming this way again." Swallowdrift flicked her ear and looked directly at Flamebranch, "Why is he here?"

Flamebranch turned away his head and snorted, "Pineleaf wants me to distract patrols."

Pineleaf was hoping he won't mention how she put the foxglove seeds in the medicine den and mixed them up, causing Tallpoppy's unfortunate death.

Swallowdrift looked like she was about to say something, but then she shut her mouth and averted her gaze. Pineleaf knew something was wrong. Was the camp in trouble?

Then she suddenly blurted out, "Pineleaf, I should have told you earlier. I put those seeds in the medicine den. I'm the one who poisoned your Clan."

Pineleaf tilted his head and meowed, "I already knew that. But it's okay, I know that Willowshine blackmailed you into doing it."

She blushed. "I-I didn't know you… sorry. I guess it wasn't really an emergency." Then she chuckled uneasily. "Thanks for coming to see me. I just needed to get that off my shoulders."

"Wait, before you go…" Pineleaf took a step forward and nearly got his paw into the stream, "I'm curious how things are going on with you and Shadefish."

Swallowdrift's smile faded. Her tail drooped low, "I don't want to talk about it. It's a really sour subject for me."

Without warning, Flamebranch smirked and pushed his way in front of Pineleaf, "Are you and Shadefish expecting kits?"

"No." She said rather flatly.

Pineleaf shot a glare at his brother. Flamebranch needs to learn to just tag along and not even mess with the affairs itself. Then he smiled weakly at Swallowdrift, "Sorry about that."

"It was a reasonable question." She replied shrugging it off. "Oh well, I really should be going. Bye Flamebranch and Pineleaf." Then she turned around and began to walk back into the thin oak forest. Pineleaf restrained a sigh of longing for her.

Flamebranch grinned at Pineleaf and they both turned around to head back to ShadowClan. Pineleaf admitted it was a rather short meeting, and it wasn't really important.

But just a few heartbeats later, Swallowdrift screamed loudly. Her voice pierced the air, and haunted Pineleaf. He turned around and hissed to Flamebranch, "Go back to ShadowClan, I'll take care of what's going on back there."

Flamebranch shrugged. "Your vigil." Then he suddenly growled and hissed, "Stupid voices. I'll go ask Fawndapple if she has any herbs for that." With those words in the air, he sprinted off through the ShadowClan territory. Pineleaf then leaped over the stream and skidded his paws against the grounds of RiverClan. Swallowdrift screamed again followed by her saying, "Just go away!"

"Come on, darling. It'll be over with if you just cooperate with me."

Pineleaf bursted into a clearing where a very dark brown fluffy tom with pale yellow eyes was pinning down Swallowdrift. She struggled to move, and his muzzle was close to her face.

"I don't love you!" She gasped to the smiling tom, "I'll never have kits with you!"

"Let's see about that, my little swallow bird…"

Pineleaf then snapped at the dark tom, "Leave Swallowdrift alone!"

Swallowdrift turned to face Pineleaf, a smile spreading across her muzzle, "Thank StarClan you heard me. Now snap this disgusting cat's neck for me!"

Pineleaf didn't respond. All he knew was that this tom was trying to get on a much farther, much more intimate level with Swallowdrift than he should be. This cat must be Shadefish, Swallowdrift's future and assigned mate. So Pineleaf charged forward and knocked over Shadefish, his amber eyes glinting with anger.

Pineleaf suddenly slashed his claws across his face, blood flying. Shadefish hissed and kicked up Pineleaf, scoring his back claws down his stomach. Pineleaf grunted in pain and got off. The two cats began to circle each other. Jaws snapped and claws tore up the soil.

In pure anger, Pineleaf leaped over to Shadefish and before the dark cat could respond, Pineleaf brought down his claws across his shoulder. Shadefish gasped painfully and began to sprint back to the RiverClan camp. Panting, Pineleaf raised his paw to a large cut on his cheek. He looked at his paw to see blood on it. Swallowdrift got up and raced over to Pineleaf. "Are you okay? Is it just that cut he got you?"

Pineleaf nodded. "I'm fine."

"I was so worried that Shadefish would… I was scared he'd…" Then she bursted down into tears, "I was so afraid of him, Pineleaf!"

Pineleaf shushed her and brought her close to his body. He said in two hushed words to her, "It's okay." His heart began to pound in his chest and he felt blood rise up to his cheeks. He loved her unconditionally, and he couldn't help it either.

She raised her head and then meowed softly, "Should we make that wish of yours come true?"

An even brighter blush rose up his face. He nodded silently and held her close to him. He wiped away her tears with a slight brush of his cream and brown tail. He knew that she deserved someone better than Shadefish.

* * *

"Final meeting, huh?" Snorted Flamebranch while licking up a few poppy seeds. He turned to face Pineleaf, "Lovely. That's fine and dandy, isn't it now?"

"Shut up, Flamebranch." Hissed Pineleaf. "You wouldn't understand how I feel about her."

"I don't I ever will either." Purred Flamebranch. Fawndapple turned to face them and she rolled her eyes before going back to the herbs.

Flamebranch stood up tall and meowed loudly, "'Oh my dear, Pineleaf. I love you so!" He stepped closer to his brother and fluttered his eyes, "Make my wish come true, my one and only love. Never, ever let go of me! Oh, Piney-Baby!" Flamebranch then proceeded to drape his paw around his brother's shoulder, "We can watch the world be reborn together! We can roam the lands and have dozens of kits. Oh, Pineleaf…" then Flamebranch licked his brother's cheek.

Fawndapple chuckled at her brother's antics.

"Flamebranch, please-"

"I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER." Flamebranch whispered loudly. Fawndapple cracked and even wider smile. Pineleaf grinned at her. Maybe Flamebranch is a good brother. It seems as though his overly dramatic act is cheering up their depressed sister.

Pineleaf laughed and wrapped his paw around his brother's neck as well and played along, "I shall love you forever and ever, Flamey. Our love will last forever and let's not just have a dozen kits. Let's have thirty kits together. And oh, what is this? Sap? What is this 'sap' you speak of?"

Then another laugh came through the den. Pineleaf turned around to see Fallenstar limping into the medicine den. "It's good to see you all together like this."

"Hey there, Mom." Purred Fawndapple, "Is something wrong?"

Fallenstar hissed, "I stepped on a thorn that Nettlepaw dragged in through a clump of moss." Then she laid down and let her daughter begin to pull it out, "Before that, I was out in the woods talking to Oakfur. It seems as though he thinks he belongs in the elder's den." She sighed, "He's been a good deputy. I guess I can't really deny his requests either."

"Are you holding the ceremony tonight?"

She nodded then added in a tense voice, "Unfortunately, I have no clue what the ceremonial words are. I'll have to ask Whitewater before moonhigh."

"Ee hashn't come to meh wiff any complantsh." Muttered Fawndapple through a mouthful of moss."

"That's too bad." Meowed Pineleaf, "Oakfur is such a great deputy. He carries out the patrols really smoothly."

"Better than I ever had." Purred Fallenstar in laughter, "I was actually only a deputy for literally only two days before Blackstar passed away. I could actually learn a thing or two from Oakfur."

Flamebranch sat down next to his mother and twitched his eye, "Who'll be the new deputy?"

"That's my little surprise." She said, "I can't tell all my plans to you guys just because you're my kits."

Fawndapple set down the moss, "I guess so." Then she looked at Flamebranch and Pineleaf, "We might as well go wait outside while Fallenstar speaks to the elders."

Pineleaf nodded and his family all exit the den together. Fallenstar crawled into the elder's log as Pineleaf and his siblings sat underneath the High Branch. He already saw that Oakfur sat in front of him.

It took a little while, but Fallenstar left the den and stretched her muscles. "All cats old to catch their own prey, gather beneath the High Branch for a Clan meeting!" Then she clawed her way up the huge pine tree, her tail keeping perfect balance on the way up.

The cats got together, and Pineleaf noticed that Owlpaw and Plumshade shoved their way up together to sit next to him. Owlpaw's blue eyes gleamed, "Can you sit with us, Pineleaf?"

Pineleaf exchanged a look with his sister then she shrugged and smiled. Pineleaf turned around and sat between Plumshade and Owlpaw. Plumshade cracked a tiny smile for him. Pineleaf smiled back.

Fallenstar wrapped her tail around her paws and meowed loudly, "I have gathered you all here to hold a ceremony for the retirement of Oakfur and reappoint a new deputy. So first off, Oakfur, is it your wish to give up the name of a warrior and go join the elders?"

Oakfur nodded solidly. "It is."

"ShadowClan honors you and all the service you have given to us. I call upon StarClan to give you many moons of rest."

"Oakfur, Oakfur!" Cried out ShadowClan. Oakfur dipped his head.

"Now, to appoint a new deputy. I say these words before StarClan, so that Oakfur may hear and approve of my choice."

Pineleaf held his breath, hoping it would be a good cat who would guide the Clan through troubled times.

"Crowfrost will be the new deputy of ShadowClan. Clan dismissed." With that, she clawed her back down the.

Plumshade was about to say something to Pineleaf, but the tom tore away from her and Owlpaw to go congratulate Oakfur and Crowfrost. Plumshade's tail lowered.

"Hey, Crowfrost, congrats!" Mewed Pineleaf to the black and white tom with grey eyes. Crowfrost grinned.

"Thank you, Pineleaf."

Then Pineleaf turned to face Oakfur, "And congrats to you, Oakfur."

Oakfur grinned and chuckled, "Are you congratulating me on being old?" Then he curled his tail over his back leg nervously, "I just hope Crowfrost does good."

Pineleaf shrugged, "He's a good cat. I doubt many cats questioned if you were a good deputy when you were assigned."

"I was deputy before you were a thought in your mother's mind." Said Oakfur. He yawned, "I might as well head over to the elder's den and get settled in."

Pineleaf nodded and watched as the old wood brown tom trotted over to the elder's den. He then scanned across the clearing for Plumshade, it seemed as though she wanted to speak to him.

Suddenly, Fawndapple walked up to Pineleaf and asked, "What was up with you and Plumshade? You know she liked you ever since you were apprentices."

Pineleaf's amber eyes got wide, "R-Really? I thought it was just me and Swallowdrift."

Fawndapple shook her head, "Plumshade told me herself."

Pineleaf gulped and looked down at his paws and suddenly remembered Swallowdrift's face now shattered with Plumshade's blushing cheeks. Then he muttered in a low tone, "Oops."


	41. Voices in the Dark

**Author's Note: AW SNAP. Pineleaf is now officially mates with a cat from another Clan and and Plumshade has been chasing after his tail the entire time.**

**We all knew that Plumshade fancied him. **

Fawndapple's paw accidentally touched Twigtail's as they both reached for a coltsfoot flower. She blushed and pulled it away.

"I'm just trying to help." He hissed.

"You say that a lot." She concluded. Twigtail perked his ears. Then his eyes narrowed.

Twigtail stood up and licked his chest, "If your brother is in a forbidden relationship, why can't we? After all, we both got into the discussion about medicine cats and kits a while ago."

"I didn't love you back then. You and I need to both try and shove away these feelings."

Twigtail raised an eyebrow as he smirked, "Feelings? Last time I remembered, it was you who made the first move when you got your full name." Then he brushed his muzzle across her ear, "Then you fueled my love for you even deeper. You said very plainly yourself 'I can't stop'."

Fawndapple swirled around and suddenly lashed a tiny claw mark across the tom's ear. He yelped painfully as a nick of his ear flew off. He turned to face her with a smirk on his face. "Twigtail, leave me alone."

Twigtail hung his head. Then he nodded, lashing his tail. Yet he was still smiling like the fool he is.

Fawndapple organized the herbs for the rest of the day. She stifled a giggle, this is what made their lustful love so powerful; it was when they snapped.

* * *

In the dark, Fawndapple heard a loud voice crying out her name. She bolted awake and looked skittishly around the den. A voice cried out her name again. For the night, she has let Twigtail sleep in the medicine den. So it was probably just him having a night terror.

"F-Fawndapple, please hear me!" He sobbed. She stretched her aching muscles and dragged herself across the den and looked around the corner to see Twigtail's blue eyes were wide and huge, "It's me, please respond."

"Twigtail, it's just a dream. Calm down." She said rolling her brown eyes.

"Fawndapple!"

She flicked her ear.

"It's Twigpaw!"

Then something snapped. Twigpaw, not Twigtail? She slowly approached his body and sniffed him. He smiled wildly, his eyes glazed open like a dead fish, his tail unmoving like he was simply an animated corpse. "Twigpaw?"

"Yes, it's me." It looked like he was trying to stand up. Then he hissed, "Darn it, I can't get up. Anyway, I just wanted to say I really missed you. I also feel really betrayed about all of this. You take my body and instead of mourning me, you take a spirit and shove it into me. Do you know w-what's it like to have your life ripped away from you and to watch as an imposter lived it for you?"

"If I didn't do it, Flametail would have been trapped in the Dark Forest forever." Fawndapple meowed. Then she blinked, "Twigpaw, is it really you? It's been a really long time. I haven't seen you in StarClan."

He chuckled, "I've been really busy cat for the past several moons." He grinned, "We'll get to physically see each other soon. I'll let go of Hawkheart now. Goodbye."

Suddenly, the look of a death fish escaped from Twigtail's eyes. The tom gasped and spluttered for breath. Fawndapple darted forward and nuzzled him gently. "Is everything okay? Twigpaw took hold of you for a bit."

"Yeah, but nothing is fine. I took a quick glimpse at StarClan." Twigtail snarled. He stood up, his fur spiked up, "Twigpaw is going insane, I saw him for myself. Littlecloud was nowhere to be seen either." He shook his fur. "Maybe this has something to do with the gathering going on right now at the island?"

She shook her head. "I don't think so. For now, we can just sleep away our terrors." Then she gingerly laid down next to Twigtail. "If you'd like, I can be by your side for the night." Followed by a soft purr.

Twigtail snorted. Then he smiled and wrapped his paw around her neck. "Why not?"

Then she closed her eyes and sank into Twigtail's warm brown fur. Tonight, she isn't going to have her brothers tell her that loving Twigtail is something wrong and that he's still a horrible cat. Maybe she can forgive all he's been through. After all, he has stolen her heart and held it gently like a baby raven.

Throughout the entire night, Twigtail held her softly. Her purrs echoed in the darkness, and her heart was starting to burst for him.

She had a happy, dreamless sleep. In the morning, she felt something suddenly grab her scruff and yank her out of the nest. She gasped and was thrown down onto the medicine den floor. She wiped away the drool on her mouth and scrambled to her paws.

Then she gasped in horror, to see Starlingwing in front of her.

"I had a sore throat." He started, "But I came in here to see you curled up with another warrior."

"I-I was comforting him!" She spluttered. She turned to Twigtail, seeing that he was still asleep. She struggled for an excuse, "He came in here with a pounding headache and in the middle of the night, he began to have nightmares so I slept next to him for comfort." Her eyes were wide and pleading, "It's the truth, I promise."

Starlingwing looked like he was about to object, but he shut his mouth. Then he exhaled, "Sorry, I just assumed that-"

"We aren't in a relationship, I swear." She lied, averting her gaze, "Y-You said that you had a sore throat?"

Starlingwing smiled and nodded. She huffed and went to the back of the den. She scrambled around for the honeycomb, and she knew she landed in it when her paws suddenly smashed into. She growled in frustration. Now she has to head out to a bee hive and get some more. It was all covered in pebbles and sticks anyway.

The golden liquid was now all over her paws and sticking to the ground. She limped to the other den holding up her paw. She then said sheepishly, "Sorry, Dad. I uh, stepped in the honey. I need to head out and get some more.

"No, it's not a big deal. I must have swallowed a feather."

Fawndapple rolled her eyes, "You have no idea how much I hear that excuse. You're probably getting whitecough. But no problem, we can heal that in a heartbeat. Let me grab some feverfew for you." She turned around but nearly jumped up in fear to see Twigtail towering over her with a stalk of feverfew already in his mouth.

She blushed lightly and laid back her ears.

"I got it for you." He muttered setting it down, "I woke up hearing Starlingwing complain of a scratchy throat."

"Thanks." She mumbled as she quickly picked it up and trotted back over to her father. She set down the flowery stalk in front of him and watched as he swiftly ate it. Then Twigtail offered a bright, yet phony smile to him.

Then Starlingwing replied, "I see Twigtail in the medicine den a lot. Maybe you should take him as an apprentice."

Her eyes got wide and she said quickly, "N-No, I can't. Twigtail is older than me." Then she looked over at him. Of course, he was a medicine cat as Hawkheart, but that doesn't mean he wants to be one again.

Starlingwing shrugged and stood up. "All right then." Then he waved his tail and walked out of the medicine den. Immediately, Fawndapple flashed a look at Twigtail.

"Do you want to be a medicine cat again?" She asked.

Twigtail perked his ears. "That's a tough question. I did love being a medicine cat, but that was because of all the relentless teasing as a warrior apprentice. Now that I think about it, I'd rather give being a warrior a chance." Then he smirked, "After all, now I'm such a handsome tom and you are a beautiful she-cat."

"You're full of hot air." Fawndapple purred. Then she grinned, "It's more or less your choice in the end."

"Maybe if I was a medicine cat, I wouldn't be tempted and the strict code of no mates will come back into my mind." He said grimly, "If I were the medicine cat of ShadowClan, it would already be hard-wired into me to obey StarClan. Besides, if the other medicine cats find a way to kill you, then ShadowClan would be left without a medicine cat."

"Ha!" Fawndapple grinned and narrowed her eyes. Twigtail looked at her in confusion while Fawndapple's tail lashing and her ears perked up.

"What?"

Her grin grew even wider. Then she said smugly, "You have just admitted that you care about ShadowClan! You're concerned if I'm killed there'll be no one to take my place."

"I-I never said that." He growled.

She purred, "You really care about me and ShadowClan. Turns out, you really aren't entirely heartless."

Twigtail turned away and growled, "Oh really?"

Then she carefully twined her tail into his. Then she purred softly into his ear, "Really."


	42. Arguing Hypocrites

Flamebranch's paws pressed down firmly on the marshy ground, and he sheathed his claws. How did ThunderClan have the nerve to say that they were trespassing?

_That's because Fallenstar _did_ trespass,_ Hissed the voice in his head,_ Both you and Fallenstar traipse in the territories like they belong to you._

Flamebranch pressed his claws against the back of his head and he grunted painfully, begging the voice to just leave him alone.

"Is everything alright, Flamey?" Asked Fallenstar walking next to him.

Flamebranch shook his head. "I've just always had this voice in my head. It tells me to do terrible things."

Fallenstar's eyes narrowed in concern for her son's mental health, "Try your best to block it out."

"That's what Pineleaf said." Flamebranch snorted disbelievingly. "It isn't as easy as you'd think." Then he swiveled his head when they all carefully walked into the camp. Sunlight was just beginning to peak out over the treetops.

Fallenstar set her tail on Flamebranch's back and she whispered, "Get some sleep. We're going on a sunhigh patrol."

Flamebranch feebly nodded as Fallenstar separated from him. He flicked his tail, and began to wonder about Fawndapple. She never liked going to gatherings, she preferred to hear about them from her brother. Flamebranch then walked over to the large pine tree with a hole between the roots with rocks scattered at the entrance. Carefully, he padded into the den and quietly called out for Fawndapple.

All of a sudden, he heard a quiet purr in the darkness. He glared in the darkness and slinked on around the rocky corner, and perked his ears. He gasped in horror, seeing his sister entwined with Twigtail in a single nest, their purrs both folding into one sound.

_This is thievery._ Hissed the voice, _You have to kill him for sleeping with your sister like that. Before you know it, Twigtail will just murder her in cold blood. Remember, he slipped into StarClan on pure luck. He's always hated ShadowClan, and he'll destroy it all, starting with your darling sister._

Flamebranch slowly walked up to them and sniffed them. The scent of raven has disappeared altogether, now mixed with Twigtail's musty scent of mushrooms. The smells were now tangled together and bound like a contract of blood.

Has Fawndapple forgotten about the trickery he has shoved her through? As Hawkheart, he has disguised as Flametail and told her to either take all of ThunderClan's herbs or kill Birchpaw. Then he snagged Flametail into the Dark Forest and told Fawndapple that he'd release Flametail from the forest if she can get a spare body for him.

Then he blatantly stole her away from the Clan. It's almost like he brainwashed her!

Flamebranch twisted his nose in disgust and slunk out of the den. He scanned the horizon to see the morning sunlight streaming through the pine trees. He narrowed his eyes and looked around for Starlingwing, ready to just tattle on her. Then he spotted his father laying down next to Fallenstar.

Then he hissed, "I got a sore throat, maybe I should go to Fawndapple?"

Fallenstar nodded, "Good idea."

Flamebranch stepped up and said in a smug tone, "Yeah, good idea, Dad. Fawndapple should be in the back of the medicine den still sleeping." Then he grinned and trotted off to the warriors den for some sleep.

* * *

Flamebranch rolled over in his sleep to see Owlpaw's brown paw jabbing him ferociously in the ribs. He growled and blinked his exhausted green eyes. He slowly lifted himself up, and watched as Owlpaw flicked a small yellow leaf off from his head and a smile cracked across her muzzle. Flamebranch rolled his eyes.

"Time for the sunhigh patrol!" She gasped excitedly. She ran out to the entrance of the warriors den and went on, "We'll be going with Crowfrost and Applefur." Then she purred, "We're going with the deputy, isn't that awesome?"

Flamebranch shook his pelt and meowed while licking his chest, "I thought Fallenstar was supposed to come."

"She volunteered to head out for some hunting patrol with her mate." Said Applefur approaching her apprentice. Applefur shook her head, "Prey has been scared back into the burrows. She guesses that the prey thinks frost is going to hit us soon."

Flamebranch walked out of the den and replied, "I don't think so. It's been really warm lately."

Applefur shrugged. "It's been a scarce leaf-fall. Anyway, we'll be patrolling at the RiverClan border. Olivenose said that she caught the scent of trespassers over the border when she was with Dawnpelt." She looked around and motioned with her tail, "Crowfrost is already waiting for us."

Flamebranch stole a glance over at Pineleaf speaking calmly to Twigtail, almost as if he's a long lost brother. Flamebranch gnashed his teeth together when the voice suddenly purred, _That monster has even taken your place as brother. All the more reason to kill him._

"Hey, hurry up!" Cried out Owlpaw while wagging her tail standing next to the deputy. Flamebranch stretched out his claws and trotted over to join them. Crowfrost nodded and led the way into the woods and began to guide them toward the RiverClan border.

"I've never been to RiverClan." Said Owlpaw with excited, twitching whiskers, "Do you think we'll run into a hostile patrol? I really want to test out my battle skills on those fish-faces!"

Flamebranch rolled his eyes and hissed to her, "Don't get your hopes up. There hasn't been any battles for a long time. I think the last serious one was with RiverClan when I was just a kit."

"Oh, I heard about that." Said Owlpaw as she scrunched up her nose, "Mistfall told me that Pineleaf was kidnapped as a kit during the rush of battle and everyone was distracted. That's why the queens make us always patch up the back of the nursery so no cat or fox can break through."

"Stoatleap and Mistfall tell you to do that to keep you all safe." Said Crowfrost sternly, "Emberpaw was complaining that he still has to do it even though there's no kits in there."

Owlpaw shrugged and grinned, "He's_ always_ complaining."

Applefur smiled in reply and squinted her eyes, gazing across the border. She took a good whiff of the air and commented, "The scent is really faint and stale, like they haven't been here in a while."

"They're planning something!" Owlpaw growled as her fur bushed up, "Frog-BreathClan is trying to lure us into a feeling of security and as soon as we turn our backs…" She swirled around and lashed her claws out into the air and hissed, "_Bam!_ That's when they'll hit us!"

Flamebranch rolled his eyes once more as Applefur purred in laughter. Then she stepped up to the stream and said calmly, "_Frog-BreathClan_ Isn't planning to do so. In fact, I see the patrol just in the trees over there."

Flamebranch peeked his head over a holly bush to see Swallowdrift with a small pale brown tabby tom and a grey she-cat with tufted ears and gleaming yellow eyes. Flamebranch recognized the brown tabby to be Podshell. He faintly remembered that he's also the brother of Shadefish. Flamebranch laid back his ears. Memories came back to him when that grey she-cat blinked her pale eyes. This is the she-cat that told him to hurry up to the gathering when he, Fawndapple, and Twigtail tried to find the cat that put the foxglove seeds in ShadowClan. He wracked his mind for a name but couldn't find a thing.

Swallowdrift stared at Flamebranch for a little bit but didn't say anything.

"Hey there, Crowfrost." Said the tufted-eared she-cat in a cool voice, "I heard that Oakfur retired and you became the deputy. Congrats."

Crowfrost dipped his head. "Thank you."

Suddenly, Flamebranch bursted out to her, "What's your name?"

She turned to the orange tabby with green eyes. She flicked her long ear and replied calmly, "Minnowtail."

_Fish-brain, She thinks you're weird. She probably doesn't even remember you._ Said the voice laced with laughter.

Then she shrugged absentmindedly. Crowfrost luckily broke the tension saying to Podshell, "I heard at the last gathering that you and Mossyfoot are expecting kits. That's good news for RiverClan, am I right?"

Owlpaw flashed a glare at the deputy. Then she whispered in a cold tone, "Why did you say that?"

"Why not?" Replied Crowfrost with a grin.

Podshell nodded, "I'm such a lucky tom."

Swallowdrift carefully stepped up and meowed very quietly, "Can I talk to Flamebranch for a moment?" She narrowed her eyes at him, and Flamebranch stepped back. She turned back to Minnowtail and continued, "I'm pretty sure I saw _him_ the other day eating a pigeon on our side of the territory. But I want to be the one to confront him about it."

Podshell raised an eye, then shrugged, "Make it quick. We have to be circling all the territory today. Then he blinked, "Remember what Mistystar told us about the oncoming storm?"

Flamebranch glared at them furiously. He has never done such a thing! Flamebranch has trespassed, but has never stolen prey! RiverClan can keep their rotting prey all to themselves.

Crowfrost glared at Flamebranch but then nudged him into the woods to follow Swallowdrift. "Hurry up."

Flamebranch nodded and padded past the circle of bushes. Once concealed in darkness, Swallowdrift sat down and shuffled her paws nervously.

Suddenly, the ginger tabby barked out, "I never stole from you!"

Swallowdrift looked up at him and hissed, "That was a lie. I needed an excuse to talk to you alone."

Flamebranch relaxed his tensed muscles. "Oh, alright then. Is this about Pineleaf?"

She rubbed her tail on the ground in reply, "Y-Yeah. Sorry about this." She pat her paw on her belly. Flamebranch looked closely to see it was slightly swollen. He backed up. Kits. Swallowdrift is expecting kits.

"Whose kits are they?" He asked cautiously.

She shook her head and closed her eyes, "I honestly don't know. I have mated with both Shadefish and Pineleaf, but I wanted to tell Pineleaf just in case they were his. She got closer and snapped open her eyes, "Will you please Pineleaf for me? I-I'll tell RiverClan that they are Shadefish's kits to prevent another battle. I don't want them to get caught in the middle of it like I did when I was just a kit."

Flamebranch nodded, "Sure thing. I'll tell Pineleaf."

A tiny voice giggled in his mind, _Next, it'll be your sister having kits. Then you'll be left all alone; watching painfully as Twigtail poisons the Clan._

For once, Flamebranch replied mindfully, _You're right. It's okay for Pineleaf, but it's not right if it's Twigtail. Twigtail or Hawkheart has to die. He's manipulating my sister at this point._

_ Very good! Come up with a plan by the time you get back to camp._ Then the voice stopped speaking.

Swallowdrift's minty eyes darted around and said dreadfully, "Are you okay? We should probably get back to our patrols."

Flamebranch hung his head and said softly, "Y-Yeah. We probably should." He turned around and stepped back over the clumps of ferns. The patrols glared over at Flamebranch. He glanced at Swallowdrift, wondering if she'll save him from this lying accusation.

She stood beside Podshell and meowed, "It's been a misunderstanding. We sorted it out on our own. Turns out to just be a passing fox we've both seen."

Owlpaw pursed her whiskers, "Mouse dung. I thought we'd get into a fight."

"Be thankful we didn't get into one." Hissed Applefur. She sighed and flicked her ear toward Minnowtail, "Sorry for the trouble. We won't be bothering you again."

Minnowtail turned back to Swallowdrift and Podshell as they continued along the border and scoring trees and marking.

Out of nowhere on the way back to the Clan, Crowfrost asked Flamebranch in a hot tone, "A fox? Really, Flamebranch. When was it the last time we've scented a fox along the same border as RiverClan?"

"When they killed Jaykit." Growled Owlpaw. Then she composed herself.

Applefur turned to face Crowfrost, "Calm down, Crowfrost." She looked over at Flamebranch, "Did you steal prey?"

Flamebranch gasped in mock shock and meowed sarcastically, "What? Me _stealing_? Well, as far as I know I've been perfectly obedient to ShadowClan, so it'd make sense I was stealing." Then he stomped his foot and snarled sourly, "Of course I didn't take prey over that disgusting border."

"Okay, Flamebranch, we get it." Huffed Crowfrost, "Sorry about that."

The trio of cats slipped down the rock path into the camp, Flamebranch's brown paw pads slipping on a few sharp pebbles. He looked around for Pineleaf, ready to tell him the news about his mate.

Suddenly, he spotted him sharing tongues with Stemtalon and Duckfeather. Duckfeather occasionally glanced over at Plumshade who was just then exiting the medicine den with a large cut on her shoulder. Flamebranch narrowed his eyes and gently pushed through Stemtalon and Duckfeather. He furrowed his eyes and hissed, "I need to talk to you: alone."

Pineleaf opened his mouth to object, but then he closed it. He glanced back at Duckfeather and Stemtalon before being pulled away by his brother. He charged quickly into the dirtplace in a tunnel a little ways off from Fallenstar's den. He sat outside the den as Pineleaf peeked inside to check to see if no one is listening. After confirming no one is in there, Flamebranch flicked his ear and watched as Pineleaf sat down.

"What is it, Flamebranch?" Asked Pineleaf sounding a little agitated, "This is probably the first time I can actually relax in moons. It was a nice, leisurely conversation for once with Duckfeather and Stemtalon." He glared, "It wasn't about anyone dying, or doing dark deeds for my sister o-or even forbidden relationships and crazy ghost stuff!"

Flamebranch stood up and snapped, "You better not relax, especially since Swallowdrift is now expecting kits." Flamebranch decided to not say if they were Pineleaf's or Shadefish's. It's not really lying if you aren't saying anything.

Pineleaf's amber eyes got wide. Then he said in a hushed voice, "K-Kits? Swallowdrift is expecting kits?"

Flamebranch just was hoping Pineleaf would assumed they were his. Besides, why else would his brother tell him this?

Pineleaf flopped back down and began to breathe heavily. He blushed and looked down at his claws tearing into the ground. "I can't do this. I'm not prepared to be a father. It's going to end up like how Sparrowfang did. In the end, he couldn't be a father to her." He sighed, "If only he was alive. I-If only I went back and saved him instead of running."

"It's too late for this fox dung!" Barked Flamebranch, "These kits have to be cared for and watched across the border. Who cares about how Sparrowfang died and who cares that it was your fault for not looking back? Think about Plumshade. Try to move on." Flamebranch looked on desperately at his brother, "Plumshade likes you."

"How about you have Plumshade? She's smart and pretty and you deserve a mate." Hissed Pineleaf.

"Hey, don't try to make it sound like you're trying to dump her on me! I don't even want a mate; it's you and your sister with the crazy lovey-dovey mouse dung."

"Oh, it's going back around to her and Twigtail, is it? She has told me they aren't in love."

Flamebranch stomped down on his brother's tail. Pineleaf cried out in pain. Flamebranch then snarled, "I saw her all wrapped up with his body this morning. I've seen they way they look at each other. It's the same look you and Swallowdrift give each other. And _that_ lead to kits! What if Fawndapple has kits!?"

"She's responsible enough to know to not have kits." Pineleaf stated very clearly as he gingerly licked his stomped on tail.

"Oh, but _you_ are!?" Said Flamebranch in fuming anger at this point. Flamebranch huffed and turned away from him. "That's it; it's impossible. I can't reason with you."

Pineleaf watched as Flamebranch stomped off back to the camp.

How dare Pineleaf have the nerve to talk to him like that! They're brothers for StarClan's sake!

_You have given yourself another reason to kill Twigtail._ The voice whispered flatly, _We have to start planning tonight._

Flamebranch agreed, _That's right. In fact, let's go discuss them right now…_ Then he smiled and skulked off to the warriors den to be alone and talk to the little voice about their upcoming plan of murdering his sister's lover.


	43. My Garden is Exclusively Roses

He was stunned for a moment while staring at Plumshade. Her glossy brown fur with ragged tabby stripes, striking through her pelt like streaks of lightning. A small spot of white on her chest. She looked a lot like her father, Tigerheart.

She was chattering with Stemtalon. Stemtalon chuckled a few times and blushed when mentioning her sister. Plumshade stayed calm and collected.

Pineleaf didn't know how long he was staring at her until she faced him. He blushed fiercely and looked away. He shouldn't be thinking about her like that. He is now mates with Swallowdrift, but he's probably not going to see her for a very long time.

Plumshade blinked her soft olive green eyes before turning back to Stemtalon and carry on the conversation. Pineleaf dipped his head. He immediately shakes off the thought of Swallowdrift. He knows he has to tear away from her. He has to pretend he never met her, and has to pretend she's obviously not expecting his kits.

Instead, Pineleaf has to move on and not become too attached like her, only to end up like Sparrowfang who died when his daughter needed him most. It was when she began to draw back into her Clan. She's now expecting kits, but she can easily pretend that they're Shadefish's kits.

Then his thoughts shattered in two when a wild, insane voice cried out into the hollow of ShadowClan. "Pineleaf!"

He faced Fallenstar flying out of the forest in an insane flurry. Her pelt was ragged and torn up by brambles, her shoulders scratched. Her green eyes gleamed with insanity and fear. She got close to her son's nose and spluttered out quickly, "P-Pineleaf, we need to go to the moonpool tonight!"

Without a chance to reply, she began to pace in a frantic circle. Her tail twitching in agitation and fear for safety of her Clan. She looked around with a jittery look on her face. Crowfrost just came into the camp carrying a fat robin. He dropped the rabbit suddenly and ran up to her, "Fallenstar, would you like to hold a meeting?"

Starlingwing flew out and shoved past Snowbird who was guarding the camp. He stared intently at his mate and asked quickly, "Are you okay? Is there something I can help you with?"

"No!" Fallenstar shouted out angrily, "All of you, just leave me alone with my son for a few moments!" All of the now staring cats fell silent. She faced her son and asked in a serious voice, "How strong is your connection to StarClan?"

For a brief moment, Pineleaf was paralyzed by the question. He really didn't know how to respond to that awkward question. How strong is his connection with StarClan supposed to be? So he said flatly, "I really don't know. I haven't had any direct contact with StarClan."

She pressed up to his nose and hissed, "Do you even _believe _in StarClan?"

Pineleaf quickly nodded, "O-Of course I do!"

"Good, that's very good. Come to moonpool with me, tonight."

Fawndapple padded out of the medicine den and strode to her mother. She wrapped her tail around her mother's neck and meowed softly, "Come on, you need rest. You've had a long night for the moonlight patrol."

Fallenstar shakily followed her daughter into the den, leaving Pineleaf with the Clan in awkward silence. To break it, Stoatleap said to him, "Let's go out on a patrol with Duckfeather and Olivenose."

Pineleaf dismissed Fallenstar's obvious insanity and followed Stoatleap to the entrance of the Clan to meet the two she-cats waiting for them. Together, the four cats headed out into the forest. Leaves crunched beneath their paws, as Stoatleap quickly raced ahead and snagged a small crow in his claws. He turned to the patrol and grinned, "Sweet catch."

"There's been easy prey this leaf-fall." Olivenose commented, "Just a moon ago, we had a measly mouse on the pile."

"If that's what you'd call a pile." Chuckled Duckfeather. Then she paused and added, "And even more moons ago, Fallenstar and Toadfoot were hunting together for his punishment."

Olivenose shrugged, "She's crazy, that's what. How come Blackstar had to choose a crazy loner to be our leader? She was literally deputy for two sunrises."

Pineleaf listened in pain as Olivenose mentally scored claws down his family's back. That wasn't all either. Stoatleap even joined in on the conversation, "I'm sorry I have to agree. She was such a great mentor to me, but I know she's becoming mentally ill. It won't be long before the other Clans rise up to root her out of the leadership." He shuddered, "Like the stories of Brokenstar."

Then Pineleaf snapped when Duckfeather casually mentioned, "She even had the nerve to order Oakfur to kill her daughter's raven. Was it really breaking the warrior code to not hunt it?"

Pineleaf swerved around and shouted out, "You know what I think is stupid? You not respecting the love and care Fallenstar has give ShadowClan. She has made it strong and feared. All of you should just shut up! My mother isn't insane either. She's buckling under the pressure of leadership."

"She made ShadowClan a joke, that's what." Snorted Olivenose. "Blackstar made ShadowClan feared of."

"Shut up!" Screamed Pineleaf, "Fallenstar is a great leader!"

"You wouldn't know what a great leader is." Olivenose hissed.

Stoatleap stood between the two cats. He said coldly, "Let's not get into a fight. I'm sorry I even mentioned her being ill. I just want you two to be quiet and hunt."

Pineleaf glared at Olivenose. Duckfeather stared at her mother and denmate. Then she dipped her head.

It was silent for the rest of the patrol.

* * *

He pushed back a tall fern to see Fallenstar's brown pelt turned blue by the glowing moonpool. She faced him. Pineleaf breathed out a sigh of relief, seeing she has at least groomed herself. He approached his mother and asked calmly, "Why did you bring me to moonpool?"

She answered by tapping her tail on the ground next to the pool, motioning for him to lay down on the smooth, leaf ridden ground. Pineleaf did so.

He looked up at her and asked again, "Why me? Why not bring Fawndapple or Flamebranch? Maybe even your mate."

Fallenstar sniffs and licked her chest. "I know that Fawndapple and Flamebranch are working in the shadows of StarClan; perhaps a bit too long. Last night, I had a dream of pure darkness, yet I heard the screams of Littlecloud begging Twig_paw_ to let him go. Everything was so dark and cold, and his voice was so scared and desperate for help. It hurt not being able to do anything to help him."

"Maybe it was a nightmare." Said Pineleaf wanting to just head back to the camp and forget this ever happened.

Then she growls and says in a low voice, "I know the difference between a nightmare and a dream from StarClan. Littlecloud was trying to get help, and he managed to reach me."

Pineleaf suddenly shakes his head quickly and says in a nervous voice, "I am done doing dark deeds for my siblings, and I don't want to get involved in them again with you and StarClan."

She got close and said quietly, "It's not for me. It's for Littlecloud, trapped somewhere in StarClan."

Pineleaf thought about it for a moment. It can't be that bad, it's just heading into StarClan, beating up the ghost of Twigpaw and saving Littlecloud. He took a deep breath and nodded solidly. "Fine. It's for Littlecloud."

Fallenstar grins and licks up a drop of the water. Pineleaf follows after, the cold sensation of the water piercing his tongue like spikes. He flinched and all went dark, like he has died.

If Pineleaf ever did see StarClan, then he couldn't remember. When a tail brushed across his back, he snapped open his eyes to see his mother standing in front of him. He scrambled to stand on his paws, and tried his best to not even think about this. Was he really in StarClan? He glanced around, seeing a huge open path ahead of him in a dark, silvery forest. He gasped and stepped back. Blood was smeared down the path, like someone was dragged through.

"Can a cat really bleed like that in StarClan…?" He asked in horror.

Fallenstar nodded. "During the Great Battle, I watched StarClan cats fight alongside us. They managed to get wounds, just like the rest of us mortals. A few even disappeared forever."

A blue butterfly flitted past Pineleaf's nose. Maybe StarClan was addicting, like catmint. Once you get a dose of the clear, fresh winds, you'll want to stay forever. That's how Pineleaf felt, and he didn't want to feel that way. He continually looked around, hoping he'll see Jaykit, Sparrowfang, or even Tallpoppy. But there was no scent.

"Last time I was in StarClan…" she muttered, "Was when I lost a life when being impaled on spiked rocks. I saw Flametail."

He didn't respond. Instead, Fallenstar flicked her only ear and sprinted ahead. In surprise, Pineleaf raced after her. His paws felt so weightless as they pounded against the grey grass. Lots of fog obscured his vision, and he squinted his eyes.

Out of the shadows ahead, he heard sick laughter. It was sweetly familiar, and in a wave of memories, he remembered as Twigpaw joked and playfully teased him and Flamebranch as apprentices. Twig_paw_, not how Hawkheart took his body and stole his life. Twigpaw's laugh sounded twisted though.

Fallenstar's paws marched onward even faster, her ear laid back in determination. Her tail was perfectly stiff, and while she was completely focused on the path, Pineleaf struggled to keep up with her. He was thinking maybe he'd have no problem running alongside his mother, but it turned out her powers remained locked in the depths of StarClan, and when she dreamed, Fallenstar could regain her tireless energy.

Pineleaf had a theory that the tiredness and fog for him came because of his thick doubt of the heavenly ancestors. He hasn't really thought much of them, but when he did, doubts floated about in his mind like lily pads.

The laughter echoed once more, and finally his mother halted to a stop. He peered over her shoulder to see a huge wall of mist, and past it were even thicker forests. Fallenstar raced past it, and suddenly cried out in pain. She flopped down on the other side and stared at her son. She stood up with a grunt and growled, "Be careful, Pineleaf. It hurts like hell when trying to get through that mist."

"What's it feel like?" Asked Pineleaf.

"Like thousands of claws tearing up my skin."

Pineleaf nodded, and he tensed up his body to prepare himself for the pain. He shut his eyes and leaped through it, and the description of the pain wasn't too far off. He gritted his teeth and tumbled down on the other side. He shook his head, as if trying to shake away the agony.

"It shouldn't hurt that bad." Fallenstar observed while helping up Pineleaf. She gazed around, "And how come StarClan is so empty?"

Twigpaw's chuckle echoed in the darker colored forest. Pineleaf gazed into the crisp darkness to see a pair of tired blue eyes. No, that wasn't tiredness. Those were the eyes of an insane cat.

Twigpaw stepped out of the shadows and purred softly to the two cats, "Hello Pineleaf and Fallenstar." He glared for a moment at the leader. Then he continued to speak, "I-Is there a reason you're both here? It's not even half moon."

He glanced over his shoulder. Then he said, "StarClan is empty because they're either busy trying to contact medicine cats to kill Fawndapple or they've refused to cooperate and are struggling against what's left of the Dark Forest."

Fallenstar's eyes got huge. "You're trying to kill my daughter!?"

"She's so beautiful and I love her!" Twigpaw snapped. His eye lid twitched for a moment.

Pineleaf narrowed his eyes, "How did such a small cat like you get control of all the Dark Forest?"

"I practice things in my free time." He chuckled nervously, "I also can persuade cats much bigger than me to overpower StarClan patrols. I mean, I-I did get into StarClan after all."

"Where's Littlecloud?" Fallenstar hissed, "He called me in a dream!"

Twigpaw tilted his head and laughed, "Oh, he's trapped in a bush just past this thick line of trees. You can follow me." He dipped his head and trotted into shadows. Fallenstar and Pineleaf warily began to follow the small brown tom as he trotted happily along the forest. And just as he had claimed, Littlecloud was struggling to escape in a huge patch of thorns that encased him and tore at his fur. Twisted red flowers dotted the plant in several places.

"A rose bush?" Fallenstar growled, "How appropriate."

"Y-Yeah, I've taken a liking to them." Twigpaw admitted. He nodded at his work, "It took a bit, but I got it done just in time when he came to."

Pineleaf noticed that Fallenstar was circling Twigpaw, like she was going to attack him. Her green eyes slitted and disturbing. Her claws quickly unsheathed, and that caught Twigpaw's eyes. Before Fallenstar could attack, Twigpaw's smile split his face in two and he shoved Fallenstar down onto the ground.

She grunted and flicked an ear at Pineleaf. "Go, try to get Littlecloud out of that rose bush!"

Pineleaf didn't want to leave his mother, but he remembered what a good fighter she was. He nodded and darted over to the medicine cat. He blinked for a moment. It was odd, seeing a cat you knew well now sparkling with starlight and their eyes glowing unnaturally. Littlecloud's blue eyes gazed at Pineleaf. Pineleaf understood, he had to get him out.

So Pineleaf began to claw at the rose bush. He suddenly heard a gulp of pain behind him. He continued to claw at the thorns, his paws beginning to become bloody and his claws tearing. One claw was torn was completely, and blood sprayed for a moment. He hissed at the sting. When he finally cut through a thick stem, it suddenly glowed bright blue for a moment and then healed itself. He took a weary step back and faced his fighting mother and ghostly cat.

"I'll release Littlecloud if you kill Fawndapple!" Cackled Twigpaw with a twitch of his tail. He stood back from Fallenstar. He has obviously lost the fight, and he has resorted to bargaining. He skimmed his eyes toward Pineleaf then stared back at Fallenstar. "I-It's in the name of love, I want to be with her forever."

"You're terrible." Growled Pineleaf stepping up. His fur was bristled and his claws outstretched.

Twigpaw flicked his ear and an odd light emitted from his eyes, like smoke. He grinned and looked over at Littlecloud, watching as the thorns pressed up tightly to his body, constricting the cat. The thorns constrained into his skin and broke through, blood now trickling out of his body. He grit his teeth and stared on silently at the three cats.

Pineleaf flinched, suddenly empathizing with Littlecloud's sudden pain. He looked back over to the dead apprentice. He was bloodied and torn up according to Fallenstar's claws. He saw that Twigpaw has managed to nick her good ear though. A thin stream of red liquid trickled out of Twigpaw's mouth, but he was still smirking like a fool.

Then Fallenstar said in a collected voice, "I know you won't destroy what's left of Littlecloud's spirit, even if it's 'in the name of love'. I should know."

"T-Try me!" He bursted out, as the thorns got even tighter around Littlecloud's body. A long tendril of black rose thorns wrapped around his neck. The brown tabby spluttered for breath and Pineleaf watched in horror as even more wounds bloomed in his flesh and blood seeped out of him. Pineleaf concluded that Littlecloud didn't get a very warm welcome to StarClan.

Fallenstar suddenly perked her ears, like she was hearing a voice. Her eyes glazed open, and tiny drops of tears dotted the corners of her eyes. Then she grinned and nodded. She held her stance and stepped closer to Twigpaw.

"I'm serious, I'll destroy him!" Twigpaw spluttered in a scared tone.

The plants wound even tauter around Littlecloud. He gasped in hurting and cried out, "Help!" Then he laid back his ears and his eyes widened.

Then a soft wind blew. Pineleaf looked behind him to see the faint outline of a cat. He squinted his eyes. This cat was a total stranger to him. Even Fallenstar turned around and beamed with pure warmth. The cat raced through the fog, his pelt color finally clear to Pineleaf. This cat was a tom, and he had a dark ginger tabby pelt with a paler chest and belly. His blue eyes unwavering and full of rebellion. He tapped Fallenstar gently on the shoulder with a passing tail and he shoved his way into the rose bush. Fallenstar sneered at Twigpaw and jumped atop him.

The ginger tom turned to Pineleaf and growled, "Help me out! These stems can grow back, but we have to be quick in cutting them."

Pineleaf realized that both Fallenstar and the sparkling ginger tabby were both exhausted. Fallenstar's tireless energy apparently wasn't existent in the Dark Forest, and Twigpaw was finally learning her attack patterns and dodging each strike, only to attack with his own and harm her. The tabby needed help with the barrier to save Littlecloud, and Pineleaf had to make a decision.

He faced the tabby and raced headfirst into the bush, his pelt crying like fire. He isn't going to do this the easy way. The tom watched in shock as Pineleaf's pelt was scraped and torn up in thorns as he desperately tried to reach the glittering medicine cat. He tiredly hacked at the thorns like they were made of bones. Fallenstar screamed in pain, and the tabby then had to make a decision himself. He looked back and forth at Pineleaf and Fallenstar. He nodded, and decided that Fallenstar needed the help more.

So the tabby whirled around and knocked down Twigpaw. He helped up Fallenstar and raced off past the misty barrier and into the fog, leaving Pineleaf all alone.

Twigpaw heaved himself up and snapped to the now working white, brown, and cream tom, "You might be able to escape this place, but only with a prophecy lying on your shoulders."

Pineleaf shut his eyes as he unwound Littlecloud. He didn't want to hear this omen, and who knows if this now insane apprentice will be telling the truth?

"_Sweet fruits become poisoned_," Twigpaw chanted, _"And trees bend their branches, only to fall down with them._"

"Shut up!" Shouted Pineleaf. Those words now etched into his head. He claws his way out of the bushes with Littlecloud. With his remaining energy, he charged over to Twigpaw and knocked him down. He faced Littlecloud and exhaled, "Get out of here! Head over to the border of StarClan and stay over there!"

Littlecloud hesitated, but he nodded grimly and raced off. Leaving Pineleaf to fight with Twigpaw.

Twigpaw shoved him off, leaving an exhausted mess of flesh scratched up with petals of rose fallen onto his pelt. Twigpaw stomped his front paw down on the tom's neck, and Pineleaf wheezed in discomfort.

"Keep that omen in your head, Pineleaf." Twigpaw said coldly. He dug his claws into his neck and jeered on, "I didn't make it up, by the way."

"Shut… up…" Pineleaf murmured.

"I-I'll let you get away with your l-life." Twigpaw growled. He stepped off and skulked into the forest.

Pineleaf was gasping for breath, and he shut his eyes. It took a bit, but the pain was replaced by a paw shaking him awake.

He slowly opened his eyes to see Fallenstar standing in front of him, rain now dripping onto their pelts. He heaved himself to stand up, and gasped in pain. He looked down his body to see scars and faint remnants of blood on his flesh. He stared up at his tired mother, and she grinned.

"That was… pretty wild." Fallenstar chuckled nervously. "Let me help you up."

Pineleaf groaned as his mom leaned against him, holding up like a prop by his shoulders. Pineleaf wanted to sleep away the rest of his moons. He had no idea sleeping about cats trying to kill you as you tore your way through a rose bush would be tiring. They padded down the path, as Pineleaf struggled to keep his eyes open.

"As soon as we get back," she started in a soft, motherly voice, "I'll make sure Fawndapple wraps you up in warm moss and get you the plumpest prey in the Clan."

Pineleaf shivered as the rain became slightly heavier. He leaned further on her shoulder and he nodded. "That'd be nice. But you have to promise me one thing."

"What would that be?"

He winced in agony and then giggled like an innocent kit, "No more ghost business."


	44. Poisoned Fruit and Bending Branches

**Author's Note: So here's the final chapter (not including the epilogue) of Autumn's Awakening. I'd like to thank all of you once more for reading this fanfic and staying with me for so far like… what? Over 180,000 words about a story of a human turned into a cat? Abso-bloody-lutely fan-flipping-tastic! Really, I love you all so much!**

**Also, Fallenstar's Fate's Anniversary is coming up! I'll have to do something really cool for it. It's on October 4****th****.**

**Plus, there's gonna be a Legend of Zelda reference in this. Find it and you win the satisfaction of your intelligence! :D**

Fallenstar awoke from a nightmare of Twigpaw brutally murdering her daughter. Her guts torn out, and Fallenstar and her family is trapped behind a wall of roses, blocking them from saving her. The dream ended with all her vision fading to red, and her own claws covered in blood. Her entire family then murdered without a trace of sympathy, only to find that it wasn't Twigpaw who was the killer, but rather herself.

Fallenstar shook her head and exit from the leader's den. Hard rain splattered onto the ground, as if a storm is beginning to come in. She spotted Duckfeather and Stemtalon talking together, with a sudden blush sprouting underneath her eyes and them both darting off into the woods together.

It sort of reminded Fallenstar of Redwillow and Pinenose before everything went downhill.

Nettlepaw was coming back from a patrol, with her angrily glaring at the cats around her. Fallenstar rolled her eyes. Honestly, Nettlepaw is a typical emo kid. She should know.

Her mentor, Dewdrop, following close after with an angry look on her face. Dewdrop scrambled up the roots over to Fallenstar and she hissed in a low breath, "Fallenstar, Nettlepaw got into a tussle with Goldenpaw of ThunderClan along the border. I sent her to Fawndapple for her wounds to be treated, but I expect you to punish her."

Fallenstar blinked. "It seems as though I'm punishing cats left and right."

"Yeah, I couldn't put it any better." Dewdrop replied rolling her eyes. "At least tell me a suitable punishment for her."

"Just tell her to pick out the elder's ticks for a half moon. That should work."

Dewdrop grinned and nodded. With a wave of her tail, she raced across the raining hollow and into the medicine den.

Fallenstar was about to ask Crowfrost about what patrols have come back so far, but Plumshade nearly knocked her over. She stepped back and tilted her head. "Anything wrong, Plumshade?"

"N-Nothing, Crowfrost just said that you, me, Flamebranch, Pineleaf, and Fawndapple need to go on a patrol to the rarely explored part of territory."

Fallenstar raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Oh really? Why there? We all know it's too dangerous to go alone."

"That's why we won't be." She snorted.

"I should probably go check with Crowfrost before we head out." Fallenstar reasoned. She lashed her tail. Honestly, the ShadowClan leader wasn't in the mood to go on a patrol after what happened the last night.

"He's tired."

She looked over Plumshade's shoulder and saw Flamebranch walking over to them. He smiled, "He was on the patrol with Nettlepaw and Dewdrop. Come on, about time we give the poor tom a rest." He turned back and flicked his tail, "I called out Fawndapple and Pineleaf too. As soon as Nettlepaw's wounds are treated, Fawndapple will head out with us."

Just a second later, Nettlepaw came stalking out of the den, then proceeded to be scolded by Mistfall. Fawndapple followed after, carrying a twig with three purple berries on them with Twigtail following close to her. When his pelt brushed hers, she narrowed her eyes and stepped away from him. But the cats all gathered close together. Fallenstar didn't think anything was wrong, it was the simple smiles from Flamebranch that worried her though.

She shook her head, telling herself not to worry. But she grinned and meowed, "Let's head out. Plumshade can lead the way."

In the forest, Fallenstar heard Pineleaf whisper to Twigtail, "It's a rather large patrol, don't you think?"

"The Clan is very large." He replied, "If there's any danger in the unknown areas, it's best to have a lot of cats."

Pineleaf nodded in understanding and continued to walk. Fallenstar glanced over at Plumshade and said, "I've been this way before with Toadfoot. I lost my life just a bit past here."

"Yeah, might as well e-explore just a bit." She said shrugging in an awkward voice. Then something flickered in her eye for just a moment, but Fallenstar couldn't quite put her finger on it. It seemed to have reflected the sky for just a fraction of a second. Fallenstar flicked her ear. It must be just a trick of the light.

The rain began to pound even heavier, and Fallenstar was considering to go back. Before she could say anything though, she spotted a sodden shrew scrabbling at the ground. Twigtail held his tail high and raced after the mouse, his blue eyes narrowed. But he suddenly halted in the flatter plains area. He took a step back in horror to see something just past his paws. Fallenstar knew exactly what it was. The same scent of emptiness, blood, and the hard ground beneath her paws made her uneasy. She told Flamebranch and Fawndapple to stay back while she headed forward. She got closer to where Twigtail stood and she saw the same spiked rocks at the bottom. She sighed in relief seeing all the blood has washed away.

A bolt of lightning went off in the distance, and Fawndapple jumped up in surprise, her fur prickled.

All of a sudden, Plumshade's body walked calmly in front of her. Fallenstar watched her, and realized that she is beginning to walk around them all in a circle. Flamebranch smiled and began to circle them all as well.

"It went smoothly, didn't it?" Meowed Flamebranch calmly.

"It came with a price." Plumshade replied calmly, "But it will protect ShadowClan, I garentee."

Fallenstar gasped when she saw Plumshade's eyes turn entirely blue, as they now emitted an eerie light similar to smoke. Flamebranch was continually twitching back and forth, his eyes wide. Then he said in a joyful voice, "Fallenstar, I'll prove to you I'm trying to protect ShadowClan!" He angrily swung his head to Twigtail and snarled, "This heap of fox-dung was curled up with my sister the other night and he's replaced me as a brother! You know that he's really the spirit that barely got into StarClan…"

Fallenstar stomped her front paw and fluffed out her tail. With an enraged growl, she snapped at both Plumshade's possessed body and her son, "You two are absolutely insane!"

"I'm not insane!" Cracked out Plumshade in a desperate voice, "I-It's in the name of love, I swear!" Before Fallenstar could give a reply, he lowered his body and yowled, "Too bad, you clearly can't learn a lesson!" Then he leaped toward her, and Fallenstar gasped in shock. She was thrown down onto the ground, sending her writhing and attempting to throw off Plumshade.

Suddenly, the blue light faded from Plumshade's eyes, and tears immediately began to pour. She said in a desperate voice, "G-Get away from here! He's coming back in my head, you have to kill him somehow!"

But then she was taken over again, her eyes turning back to sky blue. Tears still dripping on her face, and a smile twisting her face.

Flamebranch leaped atop Twigtail, and the two toms began to tussle about. Plumshade set her claws on her mentor's neck and Fallenstar stared sollemly at the cat. She grimaced and lashed her tail. Then she was knocked over by Pineleaf, a yowl erupting from her mouth.

Plumshade hissed angrily at him, and she arched her back. The real Plumshade returned to her mind once more, now sobbing, and tears swallowing her cheeks. Fallenstar heaved upward and watched in terror as Plumshade was once more pushed out of her head, and Twigpaw directed her body over to Fawndapple, who was trying to tear Flamebranch off of Twigtail. Plumshade's body was thrown over to the dappled she-cat, and Fawndapple gasped in shock. She was tossed down onto the earth, and fear shown in her creamy brown eyes.

"I love you, Fawndapple!" Plumshade said like a puppet, "I have to get rid of Twigtail and bring you to StarClan. S-So we can be together; forever!"

"You're crazy, Twigpaw!" Fawndapple screamed as rain splattered mud onto their fur, "You can't force a cat to love you, and if your heart tells you to love someone you can't have, you need to break the heart yourself and force yourself to forget them…" she glanced over at Twigtail, who was now seriously wounded by Flamebranch.

Fallenstar stood up but pain gripped her legs. She looked down to see that her legs were being tied down by tendrils of rose thorns. She snarled and tried to shake off the thorns, but they only grew tighter around her, and they even began to curl their way up Fallenstar's body.

Plumshade looked over at the leader and smirked, "Don't you remember what I said in the heavens? I've been practicing dark arts."

The vines have now reached her chest, and she lifted her chin. She glared at Plumshade's corrupted body.

"Fallenstar, let me get you out!"

"Pineleaf, no…!"

But as soon as he reached her, the vines reached out for him as well. He exhaled and watched as the vines wrapped up him. He stared at his mother, both of their pelts now soaked. Pineleaf struggled to get free, but then blood began to trickle down his leg.

"Don't struggle…" Fallenstar gasped, "it'll only hurt more."

"Well, what the hell are we supposed to do!?"

Fallenstar blinked her green eyes and flicked her ear. "Pineleaf, language!"

He ducked his head, "Sorry, I picked it up from you. But is now really the time to bicker about what I'm saying!? Fawndapple and Twigtail are being killed before our very eyes!"

Fallenstar's tail fluffed out when another bolt of lightning stroke out in the blackened sky. Plumshade was now tearing up Fawndapple's body, with the medicine cat weakly defending herself.

Twigtail then snapped at Flamebranch as another claw was swung, "Flamebranch, I'm not the enemy! Twigpaw is the one trying to murder your sister!"

Flamebranch stared at the brown tom for a moment.

"Listen to him!" Pineleaf hissed, "Fawndapple needs you, and she's family!"

Then in a split second, Flamebranch chose with hesitation. He immediately twisted around and swiped his claws down Plumshade's face. Plumshade gasped in pain and she cried out for him to please stop before her possession continued.

Plumshade turned around and flung her legs out like a donkey. Flamebranch's face was quickly scratched and he backed up. Plumshade raced past the lying body of Fawndapple and he immediately shoved a rock to her head. She spluttered out in agony then shut her eyes.

Twigtail then shouted out her name in despair. He turned back to Plumshade and yowled angrily at her. He charged over to her and Fallenstar watched as Plumshade was shoved over to the edge.

"Wait, Twigtail!" Gasped Pineleaf, "That's Plumshade!"

"Not anymore, it's Twigpaw possessing her!"

It surprised her, but the thorns began to wilt, and Plumshade's body was shrunk back, obviously scared. Fallenstar was able to kick the dead vines away, and did Pineleaf. They looked at each other for a moment.

"I guess they're connected with his emotions when he's in a mortal body." Muttered Fallenstar. She turned back over to the cliff, followed by another flash of lightning and rumbling thunder.

Pineleaf ran over to Fawndapple, and he protected her unconscious body.

Then all became a soft blur. In a swift motion, two transparent gleaming cats stood by Pineleaf: Littlecloud and Flametail. They whispered something into his ear then he grimly nodded.

A heartbeat later, Plumshade screamed in astonishment. She was now dangling off the cliff above the spiked rocks, her claws hanging on desperately.

Then Littlecloud looked toward Fallenstar and said in a hushed tone before he faded away with his apprentice, "_Sweet fruits become poisoned_, a_nd trees bend their branches, only to fall down with them._"

Then Fallenstar understood. She stepped back and laid down her ear.

A scream shattered her. It was the distinct voice of the real Plumshade, "Pineleaf, save me!"

With Pineleaf's remaining ounce of energy, he abandon Fawndapple's side and sprinted over to the cliff, his breath heavy. She suddenly let go and she shrieked in fear. Pineleaf narrowed his amber eyes and leaped after her.

Twigtail, Fallenstar and Flamebranch all gathered to the edge, watching as Plumshade cried out, "I love you, Pineleaf!"

Pineleaf didn't respond. Instead, he held her tightly and wrapped his tail around her body. He wiped away her tears and then the gore suddenly came.

Fallenstar couldn't turn away fast enough. She watched in horror as Pineleaf and Plumshade screamed in a searing agony. The spikes were now jutting out of their bodies, and blood was everywhere, the rain still falling relentlessly.

All was silent for a moment, and Fallenstar lost her breath.

Pineleaf is dead.

Her son, is now dead. Her son with the amber eyes of Starlingwing and the body of her own. The son that has been the first kit to leave the nursery. The son who has been patient with the Clan when he could.

He is now lying dead on the spiked rocks below with Plumshade laying next to him.

Then Twigtail said in a soft voice, "Twigpaw's spirit should be completely destroyed. The host body he has taken has died. Twigpaw was dead to begin with, and if a cat is killed twice, they are gone for good."

"W-What happened…?"

Fallenstar turned her head to see Fawndapple and her bleeding head. But the medicine cat was oblivious to it. Fawndapple tilted her head and asked again, "What happened?"

Twigtail was the first to say anything. "Pineleaf is dead."

It took a long moment to register what he has just said. "N-No, he can't be dead. Pineleaf isn't dead; he can't. I'll heal him; we have to get him back to the Clan."

Fallenstar didn't say anything. This was much more painful than losing Flametail. This is a kit she has given birth to and raised.

Fawndapple didn't shed a tear. She was still probably thinking of a way to save her brother.

"Let's get their bodies back to the camp."

"I can't."

Flamebranch looked over at his mother, who was paralyzed with grief. Fallenstar's eyes were glazed open. She stared down at the bodies. "I can't do it because it will be too painful to pick them up. I don't want to stare into the dead eyes of Pineleaf. I want you to do it." She turned around and said tiredly, "I… I'll meet you all back at the camp." Then she ran off into the forest, her paws thudding on the ground.

Her breath was ragged and horrified. It ran through her mind like a bullet, Pineleaf is dead. He isn't coming back.

When she reached the camp, she could hardly speak. Cats stared at her in horror as they emerged from their dens.

"Where's your patrol?" Asked Starlingwing, "Where are they?"

She raised her head and suddenly began to sob. She leaned on Starlingwing's shoulder, the tears not stopping. They felt warm on her face, and she wrapped her paw around his neck.

She wanted to die right then; she didn't want to go on in this life. Starlingwing took her to the leader's den and laid her gently down in the nest. He nestled up close to her and slowly entwined his tail with hers. He set his head on her paw and sighed.

Fallenstar didn't want to go to sleep.

But Autumn didn't want to wake up to the harsh reality either.


	45. Epilogue

How long was it since I was a human? Two years? Four? Five even?

I don't want to remember.

Yet here I am, walking on the streets of my hometown like I was never hit with a truck.

I took a deep breath of the air, the sickening smell of roses hitting my nostrils. She gagged at the scent. Roses brought back such bad memories.

I turned around instinctively, like I was checking to make sure someone was following. And my instincts were correct; a deep blue colored cat with water eyes and silken silver muzzle was following me.

I forgot who it was for a moment, then I remembered it was Bluestar. I shrugged. She does what she wants and I can't stop her. I stopped on the sidewalk, and stared out past the fences.

I felt so helpless, I wasn't able to smell anything. Damn this huge, human nose.

Slowly, I opened the door with hesitation. At this point, I was pretty sure I was Autumn now, and I memories of me falling off a hospital bed was fresh in my mind.

"I see you're dreaming about your twoleg home." Meowed Bluestar.

I shrugged. Of course I was, I didn't want to wake up from my wonderful dream about the warriors world. Then I stared down suspiciously at the blue cat, "Have I properly killed Autumn?"

"Oh, the twoleg part of you is good and dead. You're just dreaming of what's left of your mind."

I didn't respond that time. I instead sat on the couch and spread out my legs. It felt good to sit like a human. I reached my hand up to my long, silky brown hair. It felt unwashed and greasy. I didn't really mind.

"It's time for you to wake up." Bluestar hissed.

"Wake up from what?" I asked narrowing my eyes. I stood up from the couch, "I'm a cat, and I am the leader of ShadowClan as well as a mother."

"You lost a life."

It was quiet for a moment. I flopped back down on the couch. Lost a life? I have lost a life? I pressed my hand to my head and sighed. "Tell me how I died."

"You've starved yourself in your den grieving for Pineleaf. I wish I could show him to you, but he's mingling with the other cats of StarClan at the moment."

I sighed. "I want to wake up. I'm sorry I haven't really taken care of myself."

"It's snowing now."

I wanted to slap Bluestar. I knew it was snowing, that was obvious enough. Why would I need to be told that? Then I snarled at her, "Wake me up. It's time for Autumn to god damn wake up."

Bluestar smirked. "Good choice."

* * *

I was slammed awake, and frantically looked at my paws, to see they were normal, dark brown paws. I sighed and laid back my ear. I felt weak and exhausted as I heaved myself out of the den. I stared outside, and saw Duckfeather leaned against Stemtalon, both of them purring.

"What will we name them?" She asked calmly.

"I want to name one after my grandmother." Replied Stemtalon, "How about Poppykit?"

Duckfeather grinned and nodded. Her belly was huge and dragging in the snow. Hopefully it's just one big kit and as much as I loved kits, the Clan was just getting too big to properly care for everyone. ShadowClan wiped out all of the prey in the leaf-fall, and that has fallen hard when the rainstorm came and made everything inedible. I shuddered in horror, remembering Snowbird's slow, hungry death. All of the water has frozen solid, and the snow was too hard to drink. The only thing available was a slowly melting block of ice in Fawndapple's den.

Then a scream erupted from the medicine den, "FAWNDAPPLE!" I rolled my eyes, knowing it was Emberpaw.

Fawndapple sighed and trotted into the den. Then she said sternly, "You'd think someone is murdering you in there. What did I say about pressing your tongue too firmly against the ice block?"

I giggled, knowing that despite these harsh conditions, ShadowClan is going to pull through.

Crowfrost trotted over to me and purred, "About time you crawled out of your hole." He turned back around, "Thank StarClan we managed to steal some prey from ThunderClan's side."

"We're desperate." I breathed out carefully, "We had no choice." I closed my eyes and continued, "And that skirmish for the lizard… I know it was worth it."

"Yes, but you are finally seeing how strong we actually are."

She smiled, "Good thing I woke up to see that."

**Author's Note: Yus, it's all over! As usual, the epilogue is super short and I have reversed the perspective. It felt crazy weird writing like that…**

**So, the third and final story will be called Marshpath's Quietude, and you can try to guess what crazy stuff will go down there. I promise, it'll be waaaay less romance there. I mean, pssshhh, this romance is getting redundant. (But for the romance lovers, there will a slight crushes and tidbits like that.)**

**Marshpath's Quietude will be set up for the first few chapters on the night of Homecoming which is September 27th.**

**End of act II…**


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